


What If?

by madnephelite



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, F/M, Secret Relationship, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-10-22 13:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17663897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/pseuds/madnephelite
Summary: What if Ripley hadn't thrown Vic out of the room during peer reviews?





	1. Lust

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had this idea while at work (yeah you read right). 
> 
> I'm not the best at writing smut but I hope you still enjoy this.

It’s late and all Lucas wants to do is go home and just relax but he is not done yet. He wasn’t even supposed to be doing the peer reviews with 19. That was supposed to be Frankel’s job but she had been biased against Herrera, so Lucas had to take over to make it fair.

He only has one more interview left. As he looks at his files, he sees that Victoria Hughes is the youngest member at 19 and has been at the station for almost one and a half years. He is curious to find out what her opinion on Gibson and Herrera is and who she recommends to be the new captain. 

He stands up and opens the door, finds her sitting outside already, so he asks her to come in. She walks in without a word, just a brief nod at him before sitting down in the chair across from him. She looks rather unimpressed, her arms are crossed over her chest and her lips are pursed. She looks bored if he is honest with himself and he has never seen a firefighter look like that when they are about to be interviewed by him. Most firefighters look scared but not Hughes.  

He tries to lighten the mood a bit asks if there is coffee around before getting up and ordering someone to grab them a carafe. As he turns around, he makes a face at her but she remains unimpressed. 

He sits back down and looks into his files.

“I have to be honest with you, Hughes. Now that I've seen today's incident report, it's gonna take some convincing for me to give either one of these kids the keys to the castle.” she furrows her eyebrow at that, obviously taking offense with what he just said.

“Jack and Andy aren't kids.” she counters and it surprises him that she is talking back at him.

“They sure acted like it out there today, though, didn't they? Breaking protocol all over the place.” he counters back.

“I disagree. I'm sorry. Is this a peer review or an incident debriefing? Because you seem to be focusing on that one call, when --” she argues and he has never had that happen with any other firefighter since he had become the Chief.

“A call as divisive as this one is an opportunity, a lens to examine these two candidates.” he explains.

“It was just one call.” her tone remains indifferent.

“And not a very clean one.” he finds himself arguing back at her.

“Whose fault is that?” it’s sounds like an accusation.

“Well, you were out there. Why don't you tell me?” he inquires and is curious as to what she will answer.

“Yours. It was your fault.” she tells him and that was definitely not what he expected.

He listens carefully as she recalls the incident, telling him everything that she remembers. He can tell that she was frustrated during the call with the lack of help from 23.

“You're the fire chief in charge of the entire department. We're all your babies. That's the gig, right?” she asks.

“Yes.” he nods.

“Okay, well, it took Station 23 eight minutes to get to us, when every second counted. Even PD beat Station 23 to the scene. Eight minutes stuck on the side of the road, when we should have been en route to the hospital. You know what that feels like? To know that every second of that eight minutes could've cost us a life? Do you know what Station 19's response time is?” she tells him frustrated and somewhat angry.

“I believe you're at... five minutes?” she gives him a look.

“Yeah, on a bad day. Three minutes is our fastest. Station 19 sets the bar for response times. So if you can't get the rest of the department up to speed, the least you can do is not give some subpar outsider the keys to our castle. So flip a coin if you have to. But it has to be one of them -- Jack or Andy. Pick one and be done with it.” she yells at him and Lucas is torn between being impressed and annoyed. She is finally showing emotions other than indifference and boredom. She has fire and passion, that much is clear. It’s obvious to him that she believes in her team and supports them 100% and doesn’t want anyone messing with their dynamic. He is also impressed but also at the same time annoyed that she is not afraid of him at all and shows no respect for him whatsoever. He is not used to this.

“That, um... That may have come out w-wrong.” she tries to backpedal and he looks at her curiously and slightly amused and another feeling that he can’t quite pinpoint.

“You just yelled at me.” he says with a smirk.

“True.” she says standing her ground and it impresses the hell out of him. 

“You know, in my five years of being the Chief, I never had anyone talk to me the way you just talked to me. I should...” he stops. He doesn’t know what he should. He knows what he wants though as he realizes that the other feeling that he couldn’t pinpoint just a moment ago, is actually arousal and he really shouldn’t be feeling this towards one of his subordinates.

“You should what?” she challenges him, her voice husky as she bites her lower lip and he can’t help but stare and wants to bite it for her. He licks his lips and her eyes advert to his lips for a brief moment before looking back into his eyes. She smirks at him with an eyebrow raised, her pupils dilated and he is sure his are too. 

“You tell me.” he almost doesn’t recognize his own voice. It’s horse and he is so turned on. “You have been telling me what I should do ever since you entered the room. So...” she grins at him.

“Lock. The. Door.” she tells him as she remains seated. 

He does as told and turns around. 

“Now, close the blinds.” he does as told again.

She is still sitting, hasn’t moved at all. She is watching him as he comes closer and rests his hands on either side of her chair. Their heads are only inches apart and all he has to do is lean in but he wants her to do the first step.

He can feel her breath on his face, mingling with his own and then she finally closes the gap between them and is kissing him like there is no tomorrow. He gives as good as he gets as he lets go of the armrest and grabs her by the waist, pulling her up and pinning her between the table and himself, pressing his hard body against her soft one.

She feels amazing and her hands are roaming all over his backside and he can’t remember the last time he has felt this kind of spark while just kissing someone. His hands wander as he palms one breast and squeezed it gently, earning him a moan that goes straight to his cock.

“I wish we were in a bed where I could explore your body and taste you all night long.” he whispers into her ear, making her groan and he loves that she is just as affected by this as he is.

“We can do that later. Right now, I just need you to fuck me hard and fast. Please, Chief.” his knees buckle and if he doesn’t have her right now, he may embarrass himself in front of her.

“Turn around.” he tells her and she kisses him again before turning around and unbuckling her pants. He pulls them down in one swift motion taking her panties with them. Then he is pulling his own pants and boxers down his legs.

“I need you inside of me, Chief.” she pleads with him as she braces herself against the table. Lucas grabs her hips before giving her ass a nice little slap, earning him a yelp from her and then he is lining himself up with her entrance and sinking into her, inch by glorious inch, stretching and filling her. He needs a moment because she is so tight and wet and warm and he doesn’t want to blow his load right away. Being inside of her feels so good. He wants to stay there forever.

“Please, Ripley. I need you to move. Please just fuck me already.” she begs him and he can’t deny her as he starts slamming into her with force. Slowly at first but when she asks him for more and to go faster he just pounds into her, going as fast as he can. The room fills with the sound of their moans and skin slapping against skin as he fucks her faster and harder.

Her moans are getting louder with each thrust. He has to slow down for a moment and she whines at him telling him that it was just getting really good. 

“Fuck, babe. I would love nothing more than to make you scream but we are at your station. We need to keep quiet. I will make you scream later, I promise.” he whispers into her ear as she squeezes his cock and makes him shout “Fuck”. 

“Who needs to be quiet now?” she chuckles as she looks back at him and he can’t help but kiss her lips as he continues his slow pace, just enjoying the feel of her wrapped around him like that.

“You feel so amazing.” he tells her and she moans quietly telling him that he does too.

“Please go fast again. I need to come.” she begs and he picks up the pace again.

If someone had told him that he would end the day balls deep in Victoria Hughes, he would have called them crazy and laughed at them and look at him now.

He is pounding her hard and she asks for more and more. She is insatiable and he can’t wait to have her over and over again.

“I’m so close. Please keep hitting that spot. I’m gonna come so hard. Please, Chief.” 

“Play with your clit!” he commands and watches her as she moves on of her hands between her legs and presses on her clit.

“Oh fuck. Yes!!!” he feels his release nearing when she starts rocking back against him. He needs her to come already. He is so close.

“Please babe. Come for me. I need to feel you come on my cock.” he whispers into her ear and that does it. She clenches around him and comes hard. She moans as quietly as she can and he hopes to God that no one is outside that door. 

“Please, Ripley. Come inside of me.” he thrusts three more times before he is spilling inside of her.

\----------

Vic is trying to catch her breath from the earth-shattering orgasm that she just had thanks to one Fire Chief Ripley. This was definitely not how she envisioned this night to end, with her Chief fucking her from behind at her station, where everyone could hear them but she can’t say that she regrets it. She can’t remember the last time she came this hard, if ever.

She can feel him softening inside of her before he is finally pulling out. She misses the feel of him instantly, can’t wait to have him again and again.

He pulls up his pants before grabbing some tissues from the table and crouching in front of her to clean her up. She looks back at him and she definitely didn’t expect him to do that. It’s intimate and really sweet of him. She has to admit that is makes her heart melt that he is taking care of her like that.

“There, all done.” he says as he kisses the birthmark on her hip above her right cheek and it makes her giggle.

She pulls up her pants and turns around to look at him, leaning against the table as he puts an arm on either side of her leaning in to kiss her. She breaks the kiss first.

“That was rather unexpected.” she tells him and he chuckles.

“Do you regret it?” there is fear and doubt in his eyes. 

She cups his cheeks and pulls him into another kiss. It’s soft and slow and she hopes that it conveys all that she feels in that moment. When they part, he is smiling at her. He looks goofy and happy and she likes that look on him.

\----------

All the doubt and fear disappears after she kisses him softly. He is smiling at her and she is smiling back and he finds that she has the most beautiful smile he has ever seen and it makes her even more gorgeous.

He watches her turn around again in between his arms, grabbing a piece of paper from his folder and a pen. She scribbles down something onto it before putting both back.

She turns back to look at him again and gives him another smile and kiss before fixing his tie and whispering into his ear.

“I’ll see you later.” she winks at him and then she is unlocking the door and walking out of the room.

When he looks at the paper, he finds her home address and phone number on it. 

This night is far from over, he thinks to himself.


	2. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Ripley continue their little tête-à-tête.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, looks like this will be more than just two chapters after all and damn you Vicley for making me wants to write for you all the damn time. I will try to follow the show just with them already being an item since the peer review.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments on the first chapter. I hope you enjoy the second one. I'm not sure about the smut. It was really hard to write. As hard as Ripley constantly is around Vic, I assure you lol 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

Her shift is officially over as she gets a text from Ripley, telling her that it would still be a while before he could call it a night and that he would let her know when he is on his way to her place. She decides to go home so she can take a shower, shave and make herself more presentable for him. 

After her shower, as she goes through her underwear, she realizes that Ripley will be seeing her naked for the first time and it makes her nervous. It’s not that she doesn't like her body or anything. She finds she has a nice ass and great legs. Her boobs could be a bit bigger maybe but mostly she finds her boobs great too. She can’t really explain why she is nervous especially since she already had let him fuck her, at her workplace nonetheless, and bareback. She had never had sex without a condom before even though she is on birth control. It’s just not something that she does but with Ripley, the thought of using a condom hadn’t even crossed her mind. She knew that she was clean and was pretty sure that he was too. 

As she thinks of the encounter, she still can’t quite wrap her head around how it all went down. One moment she was yelling at him, telling him that he was doing a terrible job and the next, he is looking at her like he wants to put her over his knee and spank her and how she would have liked that. 

The night is still young, she thinks.

She wonders if Ripley is into spanking and what other things he likes in bed. She would find out soon enough.

She can’t stop thinking about him and realizes that she had never been with an older guy before, not that it really matters to her, though it did show that he was older in the way he took care of her after spilling inside of her and she knows that a guy her age probably wouldn’t have bothered.

OMG, I let the Chief of the Fire Department come inside of me, she thinks as she feels her cheeks burn. That sounds surreal but at the same time she feels herself getting wet at the mere thought of him doing it again and again. The thought of having him buried deep inside of her and fucking her in every position, making her scream and come all night long, makes her head spin and heart race and she feels like she may combust if he doesn’t show up soon.

She finally stops thinking about him and continues her search for something to wear and she remembers that she had purchased something at Victoria’s Secret the last time she went there with Maya and Andy. They had basically forced her to buy this negligee and while it was gorgeous, Vic thought it would be a waste of money since she probably would never wear it and now she is glad that she let them talk her into buying it because she thinks it’s perfect for her night with the Chief.

It doesn’t take her long to find it and as she puts it on. As she looks in the mirror, she is amazed at how good it looks on her. It leaves very little to the imagination thanks to the gorgeous lace. She can easily see her red thong through it and it makes her feel sexy which it didn’t make her feel when she tried it on at the store before buying it. She figures it must be the fact that someone was about to see her in it that made her feel this way. She takes one last look into the mirror before checking the time and it had gotten really late and he is still not there.

She wonders if maybe he had come to his senses and decided that this was wrong but before she can drive herself mad with that thought, she hears a knock at the door. She quickly grabs her silk robe and puts it on but doesn’t tie it so the negligee can peek through and then she is walking towards the door, opening it.

“I was about to start without you, Chi… T-t-t-ravis.” she stops talking right away as she stutters her friends name, finding him and not Ripley standing on the other side of the door. She is frantically pulling at her robe and trying to tie it around her waist.

“Oh wow, Vic. I didn’t peg you for sexy lace. Hot leather, yes, but lace?” he chuckles and Vic wants to sink into the ground. She almost gave away that she was waiting for Ripley.

“Travis, I wasn’t expecting you.” she hopes that Ripley doesn’t chose that exact moment to come out of the elevator because there was no way to explain this away.

“Obviously. I didn’t know you were seeing someone?” he questions. 

“Oh, it’s--it’s new. Just kinda happened. Nothing to share yet.” 

“Come on, Vic. It’s me. Who is it?” he wants to know.

“Just some guy. Just forget about him. What are you doing here anyway?” she watches him sigh.

“I just wanted to check on you. You were kinda weird after your interview with Ripley.” she feels her cheeks redden at the mention of him.

“Oh, I don’t know what you mean. I’m fine and you should go home to Grant.” she suggests, obviously trying to get rid of him.

“Okay, okay. I get when I’m not wanted.” he tells her as he starts walking away but stops and turns back around to look at her.

“Just one thing. Whoever that guy is, he is one lucky bastard.” he tells her as he winks at her and Vic blushes and smiles.

“Thanks Trav.” she says as she closes the door again.

“That was close.” she mumbles to herself when there is another knock on the door. She sighs frustrated.

\----------

“Travis, I told you I am fine.” he hears her yell as she opens the door for him.

“Sorry to disappoint, it’s just me.” he jokes.

She immediately grabs him by the tie and drags him into her apartment, closing the door shut behind them. 

“Finally! What took you so long? I thought you changed your mind.” she raises an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed over her chest like during the interview and her lips pursed. Lucas chuckles at the image in front of him.

“Sorry. I figured since I’m going to spend the night here I should make you breakfast in the morning and I needed to get a few things for that.” he explains as he watches her peek into the paper bag.

“What’s all that?” she asks.

“Oh, I make a mean maple glaze.” her eyes go wide.

“You like maple glaze?” she asks.

“Of course I do. You cannot serve a satisfying breakfast without maple glaze.”

“...without maple glaze.” they finish the sentence together and smile at each other. 

“You just got so much hotter.” she tells him as she grabs the bag with the groceries and puts it on the little table next to the door and then she is attacking his lips. The kiss is hungry and full of lust and he moans into her mouth because she is damn good kisser. They hadn’t taken much time to kiss back at the station but he would definitely make sure to kiss her as much as he can tonight. While their tongues are dueling, his hands are untying her robe and pulling it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. Then he is breaking the kiss to look at her and it takes his breath away. The negligee hugs her curves perfectly. It’s black with red details on the bust and he can see a red thong peek through the lace and it makes his mouth water. She looks sinful. He knows he is drooling but she looks so hot and beautiful. Her hair is down and her curls are framing her perfect face and Lucas is mesmerized by her beauty. 

“Montgomery was right. I am a lucky bastard.” he watches her eyes go wide again in shock.

“How did you?”

“I used the stairs and was walking towards your door when I heard you talking to Montgomery. I hid around the corner until he left.” she chuckles.

“You look so beautiful and that thing you are wearing. I’m having trouble deciding whether I want to fuck you with it on or off.” he laughs and she laughs with him.

“Why not do both? We have all night long and we are in no rush.” she wiggles her eyebrows at him.

He grins before cupping her cheeks and leaning down to give her a chaste kiss.

“Hi” he says.

“Hey.” she replies back.

“It’s stupid but I missed you!” the words are out of his mouth before he can stop them but he finds that they are true.

“You did? You just saw me like 1 ½ hours ago.” she chuckles and so does he.

“Well, what can I say. You certainly left an impression” she burst out laughing and he finds it to be his new favorite sound.

“So did you, also you are wearing way too many clothes.” she complains as she starts removing his jacket and then his button-down shirt, leaving him in his wife beater. She takes his hand and leads him to the couch before pushing him down onto it and climbing on top of him.

“Just so you know, I have never done this.” he tells her. She looks at him confused, so he continues.

“I have never slept with one of my firefighters. I usually make it a rule, not to mix my professional with my personal life.” he confesses to her.

“What made you break your rule for me?” she wonders.

“You yelled at me.” he chuckles and she does too.

“Really? That is your answer? Because I yelled at you?”

“It’s just that no one usually talks to me the way you did. I’m the Chief, so I never get people telling me that I’m doing a shitty job. Even Frankel wouldn’t talk to me the way you did and she is a Battalion Chief and a friend. You just impressed me, that’s all.” 

“I didn’t say that you are doing a shitty job.” he raises an eyebrow at her. “Okay maybe I did but I’m right about 23. They are where the slugs of the department go to get slower.” he lets out a laugh.

“See even you know that I’m right.”

“I did not agree with you.”

“You don’t have to because I know I’m right.” he chuckles at her. “Also, just so you know I don’t usually sleep with my boss. This is not me trying to get a promotion or anything.” she looks down like she is ashamed or something, fidgeting with her fingers but not moving out of his lap.

He tilts her chin up so that he can look into her eyes, as she continues.

“I didn’t intend to sleep with you but then you looked at me the way you did and I haven’t been with anyone in a while and I was just really turned on and it felt so good to have someone look at me like that again and then when we were done you were so sweet and took care of me. I mean, I should have felt used or dirty for what I just had done but I didn’t.” she babbles.

“What is wrong with the guys nowadays? How does a gorgeous woman like you not have men and women lined up to date you? You are amazing!” he wonders and she lets out an unladylike huff.

“You wouldn’t believe how many guys just stand up and leave once I tell that what I do for a living. Being a female firefighter is either a mood killer for many guys because they feel intimidated by it or it’s a turn on because they want to have sex with me while I’m wearing the uniform.”

“Well, we did have sex while you were in your uniform so that doesn’t really make  _ me _ any better.” he says and she grabs his face to make him look at her.

“You are nothing like those guys and we didn’t do anything that I didn’t want to.”

“Are you sure? Are you sure that I didn’t take advantage of you and the situation?” he needs to make sure this is really what she wants.

“Taking advantage implies a lack of consent on my part. I'm a grown woman sitting here consenting. I'm the definition of consent.” he smirks at that.

“I don’t think I have ever met anyone quite like you.” 

“I hope that’s a good thing.” she sounds uncertain.

“That’s a very good thing.” he pulls her into a kiss, sucking on her tongue, biting her lip like he wanted back at the station and she is moaning into his mouth and grinding against him, making him hard. His hands are on her hips, squeezing them as she continues rocking against him.

He can feel her unbuckling his belt and sliding her hand inside his boxers taking a hold of him, stroking him.

“I want to ride you right here on this couch.” she whispers into his ear and he groans. She lets go of him as she stands up and then she is pulling her thong down her toned, long legs and he can see a wet patch on them which makes him even harder.

“This is what you do to me. I’m so wet already.” her voice is just above a whisper and his breath hitches. 

Her hands land on his belt buckle again as she starts unzipping his pants and pulling them down. He lifts his hips to make it easier for her and then he is sitting on her couch completely naked except for the wife beater he is still wearing. He makes an attempt to remove it but she stops him.

“Leave it on. You look so hot like that.” she says as she climbs back on top of him about to sink down on him when he stops her.

“I know we forgot about it at the station because we were both so caught up in our lust but do you want to use a condom?”

“I’m on birthcontrol and clean.” he nods, telling her that he is clean as well and then she is taking him in her hand and guiding him to her entrance.

“Besides, I want to feel all of you again.” she says as she slowly starts to sink down on his cock and it’s the best feeling in the world to be inside her tight, wet heat again.

“Fuck!” they both curse when he bottoms out.

She is not moving and he is grateful for that because he needs a moment but then her muscles contract around him and he groans. He needs to get a grip of himself or this will be over before it even starts.

“You feel so amazing, so tight and wet.” he whispers into her ear before nibbling at her neck as she starts moving slowly.

“You feel amazing too. So thick, so deep.” she grinds down on him, hard.

She gradually starts picking up the pace and soon she is riding him hard and fast. Her breasts are bouncing up and down and he feels himself spinning out of control.

“Babe, please tell me you are close.” she just nods her head and he is thrusting upwards as hard as he can. He wants to make her come so hard that she is going to see stars. She is moaning and screaming as he starts playing with her clit, pressing down on it hard and she is screaming so loud that he is sure the neighbors can hear her but she doesn’t seem to care as she continues to ride him and then he feels her muscles clench around his cock and she is coming hard.

“Oh fuck, Rip. Yes!! Please don’t stop. Make me come again!” she moans and he wants to do that for her. He wants to give her as much pleasure as he can. He thrusts into her harder, trying to hold back his own release and she is riding him furiously chasing her second orgasm and then she is cursing and screaming his name and coming a second time in the matter of seconds and it’s all it takes for him to reach his climax and spill into her.

“Fuck, Victoria. That was...” he is trying to catch his breath as he looks into her eyes and kisses her hard and he feels her contract around him again and he swears if she keeps it up he will be hard again in a matter of seconds.

“Say it again.” he smiles at her as he repeats her name and she clenches around him again.

“Fuck, if you keep doing this I’m...” and she does it again giving him a sheepish smile. She is doing it on purpose.

“You promised me all night long. I’m just holding you to your promise.” she says innocently and does it again and he can feel himself harden again while inside of her.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.”

“But what a way to go.” she jokes as he grabs her ass, making her yelp and then he is carrying her into her bedroom.

“The lady ordered all night long and that’s what she is going to get even if it’s the last thing I do.” he winks as she laughs.

I could definitely get used to this, he thinks because he can’t remember ever having this much fun during sex.


	3. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas spend the day together after a very long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who has read this and left comments and kudos. Since my other story is almost finished I figured I should continue with this one. So here is a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> There is smut again but also some sweet scenes. I wouldn't say that it's all that explicit. I have read worse lol but some might end up blushing through Vic's memory. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Vic wakes up the next morning, enveloped in strong arms, completely naked, incredibly sated and happy but also uncomfortably sore and sticky between her thighs. She remembers last night’s activities and she blushes at all the things her and Ripley had done. Well, her and Lucas.

\----------

He is buried impossibly deep inside of her and she has already come three times but she can’t get enough of him and he can’t get enough of her, so here they are going another round with her lying on her stomach, legs together with him pistoning in and out of her from behind, gripping her hips so tightly, she knows there will be marks there come morning but she just can’t bring herself to care about it because it feels unbelievable. He feels so big and is hitting that spot inside of her over and over again with a force that takes her breath away and that makes her see stars and scream so loud that she is sure her neighbors are going to call the cops. No one has ever fucked her in this position before and she thinks it might be her new favorite because it just feels so amazing.

“Oh fuck, you feel so big like that.” she moans as he picks up the pace and starts pounding her faster.

“And you feel so fuckin tight, Victoria. Oh fuck!” he groans and she can tell that he is close.

“Harder Ripley! Fuck me harder, please!” 

“Lucas.” he says suddenly, his pace slowing and she whines.

“What?” she turns her head to look at him and he smiles through lust-filled eyes.

“Considering the position we are currently in, I think you should call me Lucas.” he chuckles from behind her and the sound does things to her and her muscles contract around him, making him moan out loud and thrust into her really hard.

“Oh fuck! Babe, I love when you do that.” she is not one for pet names but she really enjoys him calling her babe and he is picking up the pace again, going wild as he just rams into her and she moans and screams for him to make her come because it feels so good and she is going to come so hard..

“Fuck Lucas! Right there! OMG, yes please, keep hitting that spot. I’m so close. Oh god, don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop. Please, Luke!” it seizes her suddenly and she feels like she is about to pass out as he keeps pounding into her as she comes and comes and comes. A moment later, she feels him spill inside of her and her pussy continues milking him and Vic is trying to catch her breath because  _ her _ Chief just made her climax harder than she had ever before and she had almost blacked out from the intensity of it.

“We are definitely fuckin in this position again because that orgasm was mind blowing.” she tells him as he plants a soft kiss on her shoulder, then slaps her ass lightly before pulling out and plopping down beside her. She lies on her side so she can look at him and he is smiling at her and she smiles back as she leans in to kiss him. He grabs her by the waist and pulls her up so she is lying on top of him and they just kiss for a while. She loves kissing him, it feels so intimate and familiar as if they had been doing it their whole lives. He nibbles at her lower lip and it makes her moan. His hands are on her back holding her to him and are slowly moving down to her ass, cupping her cheeks and she moans again as she feels him stir beneath her.

“Again? Already?” she raises an eyebrow and he smirks at her.

“It’s all your fault. You are so gorgeous...” he kisses her lips “...and hot...” he kisses her cheek “... and so wet and tight.” he kisses her neck while his hands are still massaging her ass.

“And I promised you all night and trust me, I always deliver.” he says as his eyes go dark and Vic has never been more turned on in her life and he has never looked hotter than in this moment.

She moves one hand between them and grasps him, positions herself and sinks down slowly, moaning and groaning as she takes him into her body. She knows that she will be sore come morning but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t know if this thing between them will go beyond this one night, so she is going to take whatever she can even if it kills her.

\----------

Vic blushes as she remembers the rest of the night. She stopped counting after orgasm number seven and when they finally fell asleep, she remembers that it was 6am. He had actually kept his promise and had fucked her through the entire night. Who would have thought that the Chief had such a stamina. Vic knew younger guys who couldn’t keep up with that.

She carefully extracts herself from his arms, not to wake him up and goes into her bathroom. She takes a look in the mirror and laughs at her appearance. Her hair is a mess from Lucas playing with it all night long, there are two hickeys on her neck, one on her left breast and she curses him for the ones on her neck because hiding those will be fun. She looks at her behind and notices marks on her hips from when he gripped them while giving her the most intense orgasm of her life and she also sees light bite marks on her right butt cheek and she feels herself getting wet again just thinking about it. She thinks that maybe she should take a cold shower to cool down because she wants nothing more than to go back into her bedroom and fuck him out of his sleep but it would be uncomfortable as hell because she really is that sore, so she walks into her shower instead and turns on the warm water. 

She enjoys the warmth and feels her sore muscles relax. She picks up her favorite shower cream and a sponge and washes her body carefully as it feel like after an intense workout but the workout she has had was much more satisfying than going to the gym.

She hears the shower door open behind her and cool air come in that makes her shiver for a moment and then she feel his strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her to him. She goes willingly and just loves the feel of him. He kisses her neck and starts sucking on it lightly.

“You better not give me another hickey. I already got two on the other side. I don’t look forward to covering and explaining them to my team.” she hears him chuckle from behind her as she turns in his arms and looks at him and can’t help but laugh because he is sporting a hickey of his own and hers are faint compared to his. She touches it with her fingers and glides down to his shoulder noticing a bite mark there, thinking that it must have hurt when she bit him, so she stands on her tiptoes to kiss it better.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” he say remorseful and she looks up at him, cups his cheek and kisses him softly before pulling away again and smiling at him.

“I think we both were a little bit adventurous last night but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy every second of it.” she grins at him.

“So, you are okay?” and she loves how concerned he is. 

“Except for the soreness between my legs I have never been better.” she tells him and this should feel weird she thinks, telling him those things but she feels really comfortable.

“I didn’t think you would have that kinda stamina.” she continues.

“You mean for a guy my age?” he raises an eyebrow at her.

“I didn’t -- that’s not how I meant it. OMG, I’m sorry.” she stutters out and he just smiles amused.

“It’s okay. I know I am probably a bit older than the guys you usually date.” and it isn’t lost on Vic that he just said “date” instead of “sleep with”.

“How much older are you? I mean you probably saw my age in my file last night.” he nods.

“Guess!” he requests and she rolls her eyes but humors him.

“10 years?” he points up with his finger. “12 years?” he points up again. Vic takes a deep breath. “15 years?” he finally nods.

“Wow. That is quite something.” she tells him honestly.

“Will that be a problem?” he wonders.

“A problem for what?”

“Last night was incredible and I wanna keep seeing you outside of work unless you don’t want to because I’m to old and your boss then we can just make this a one time thing and I will leave you alone and not mention it ever again.”

“I’ll be honest, sleeping with the boss or well in your case the bosses' boss' boss is probably the worst idea I ever had and yes there is a significant age difference but I agree that last night was incredible and I would like to see where this goes.” his frown turns into a smile as he bends down to kiss her again. She opens her mouth and he takes advantage of it right away as he pushes his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss. She feels her body heat up again underneath the warm water and his ministration and there is a different kind of wet between her legs than just from the water.

“You have no idea how much I want to but I wasn’t kidding when I said that I am sore.” she tells him and he stops kissing her immediately and apologizes.

“It’s okay. Let’s just get cleaned up and if I’m not mistaken you promised me breakfast with maple glaze.” he nods and gives her one last kiss before taking the sponge she just used a moment ago, wanting to wash her body but she stops him.

“Oh no, mister. You can do my back since I can’t reach it but the rest of my body is off limits or I will continue to stay in a constant state of arousal.” she says as she turns around and hears him chuckle behind her and she realizes that she loves that sound.

He finishes with her back and then takes some of her coconut shampoo and massages it into her hair and sculp. It feels very intimate and caring and Vic just melts against him as he washes her hair.

When they finally exit the shower it’s past noon. He puts on his boxers and wife beater while she grabs a cute pair of shorts and a tank top.

“Do you have to work today?” she asks as they walk into her kitchen.

“No. I called my assistant last night to tell her that I won’t be coming in today.” she nods.

“So, what do you want to do?” she wonders as she hops onto the kitchen counter and watches as he prepares breakfast, or more like lunch, for them. She tells him where to find the things he needs and just continues to enjoy the view.

“Do you want me to stay?” he turns around to watch her nod, then stops what he is doing and takes a step towards her, standing between her legs, his hands caressing her thighs as he leans in to kiss her.

“A relaxing day at home with you is exactly what I need and want after last night.” he smiles and nods and then resumes what he was doing before.

“How do you drink your coffee?” Vic asks as she hops off the counter and walks over to her coffee machine.

“Do you have any almond milk?” she raises an eyebrow, surprised at his question.

“What? Coffee tastes much better with almond or even coconut milk.” she walks to her fridge, grabs the almond milk and prepares their coffees. She puts some sugar in hers. When she asks him if he wants any he shakes his head. She walks over to where he is standing and hands him his mug. He kisses her cheek before taking a sip while Vic drinks her own coffee.

It all feels very domestic and Vic finds that she enjoys it very much. She grabs two plates and hands them to Lucas. He puts eggs and bacon on them while she grabs the toast and puts it on the plate as well.

They eat in comfortable silence in her living room and spend the rest of the day just talking and watching television. They don’t have sex again but he does go down on her on her couch and makes her come with just his tongue as she cries out his name. She jerks him off and he comes on her hand while crying out hers. They are tired afterwards and take a nap on the sofa in each others arms. When they wake up again an hour later they prepare dinner and eat one last meal together before he has to leave.

Later that night, she scribbles in her journal about the crazy 24 hours she just had and smiles when she gets a text from him wishing her a goodnight. She texts him back before lying down in her bed and falling into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Busted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somebody finds out about Vic's night with Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun with this story. I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> Also, I know there is a lot of sex. I hope you guys don't mind.

Vic wakes up the next morning, alone and she can’t help but miss Lucas. She liked waking up with him next to her. She definitely wanted a repeat of that. She lies in bed a little bit longer before finally getting up, so she can take a shower and get ready for work. 

As she dresses she realizes that one of the hickeys is easily covered underneath the collar of her button-down shirt but the other one is clearly visible and not a single concealer in her make-up bag is able to cover it up. She thinks about using a band aid but that would raise just as many questions as the hickey so she just leaves it as is and hopes for a busy day, so that no one can ask her about it, though she is sure that Travis will bring it up for sure.

She picks up her phone and sees that there is still time before her shift starts. She wonders if Lucas is already at headquarters when her phone rings and it’s him.

“Morning, beautiful.” Vic melts at that and she can feel the butterflies in her stomach that she is not supposed to have already..

“I was just thinking about you.” she admits.

“Is that so? What were you thinking about?” he wants to know.

“How you so totally owe me for leaving those hickeys on my neck. My team will be grilling me about it at work.”

“It’s not like you didn’t mark me either.” he counters.

“Yeah but I’m pretty sure yours is easily covered by your shirt.”

“Touche. How do you want me to make it up to you?” his voice sounds husky and it does things to her.

“You know exactly how, Mr. All Night Long!” she hears him chuckle.

“So, you are no longer sore?”

“Just a little bit but I’m not uncomfortable.” she tells him and then hears a knock at her door.

“Hold on! There is someone at the door.” she tells him as she crosses her living room and opens the door to find him standing there with a bag of what she assumes is breakfast in one hand and his phone in the other.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” she lets him in.

“I pushed my meeting to later. I wanted to see you and figured we could have breakfast together unless you have other plans?” she smiles at him as she takes the bag from him and walks into the kitchen. She hears him follow her. She drops the bag onto the kitchen counter before turning around and attacking his mouth. It takes him by surprise but he recovers quickly and kisses her back with the same intensity.

“First you are going to make it up to me for leaving those hickeys and then we can eat.” she orders and he can’t do anything besides nod.

“Your wish is my command. How do you want it?”

“It has to be quick and I just put on my uniform, so I’m not taking it off again.” she tells him and he understands.

“And you have to use a condom because I just showered and don’t want a mess down there for the rest of my shift.” he nods again as she quickly grabs a condom from her bedroom and comes back into the kitchen handing it to him.

“You sure you are okay?” she loves that he cares so much.

“I’m positive. I just want to start the day with a bang.” she wiggles her eyebrows and he laughs.

“Turn around.” he commands and she can feel herself getting wet already, probably has been ever since he showed up at her door.

“Pull down your pants and underwear.” she obeys as she hears him do the same. 

Then she feels his hand sneak between her legs to test if she is ready for him and she moans as his fingers make contact with her sensitive clit.

“Fuck, you are so wet for me, aren’t you?” he asks and she just nods.

He removes his fingers from between her thighs, making her miss his touch instantly. He pushes her forward, her elbows are propped up on the kitchen counter and then he is sliding into her slowly. She wonders if it’s because she is still a bit sore or because he just wants to savor it. Probably a bit of both, she thinks.

“You still okay?” she nods. “Can I move?”

She moans and tells him to just take her and he starts picking up the pace and thrusting into her hard and fast and Vic loves the feel of him inside of her. His cock is long and so thick. It stretches her deliciously and hits that spot inside of her. She can already feel herself getting closer as he keeps on thrusting into her from behind. His fingers find her swollen clit again as he presses down on the bundle of nerves, her muscles contracting around him in an instant as she squeezes him tightly. He groans behind her and she does it again because she knows how much he loves it and she needs them to come already so they are not late for work.

It doesn’t take long after that and they are both screaming each others name as they come together. He spills into the condom and how she wishes that they could have gone without one because she loves the feel of just him without anything between them but she doesn’t have time to take another shower and has no idea how busy her day will be at work and running around with a sticky mess down there for 24 hours is not an option.

She feels him pull out and watches him as he ties the condom and throws it into the trash bin. They pull up their underwear and pants and laugh at the whole thing before kissing again.

“I could start every morning like this.” she confesses as she grabs the bag he brought and looks inside to find waffles and fresh fruits and two cups of coffee. She grabs the coffee and hands one to him.

“Me too.” he agrees as he takes the cup. She can’t help but smile at him.

They don’t have much time to eat, so they basically devour the food and are out the door ten minutes later.

“I would drive you to work but that would probably not be smart.” he tells her as he kisses her on the lips. She kisses him back and nods her head.

“It’s okay. The station is not that far. Enjoy your day!” she tells him and kisses him one more time.

“You too. And stay safe.” he kisses her again and she chuckles.

“If we keep kissing each other we will be late for sure.” she says and gives him another peck.

“It’s your fault. You lips are so kissable.” he kisses her again.

“You are such a dork.” she gives him one last kiss before pushing him away.

“Go to work, Chief.” she orders and he salutes her.

“Aye aye, ma’am.” she burst into laughter as she watches him get into his car and drive off.

She ends up being late to work but the morning with Lucas was totally worth it.

\----------

She is sitting on her bunk bed texting Lucas when Travis walks on. She puts away the phone as she looks up at him and she can tell by the look on his face that he is about to interrogate her about the other night.

“So, how was your night after I left?” he ask as he keeps his hands behind his back. Vic doesn’t think much of it at first.

“It was great.” her answer is short.

“Who is your mystery guy?”

“Oh, no one you know.” she hates lying to him.

“You sure about that?” he looks like he knows something but that’s impossible. Or maybe he saw Lucas that night after all.

“Of course I’m sure. Why wouldn’t I be sure? It’s no one you know. So, can we drop this now?” she babbles and she can tell that he doesn’t believe her.

“I think you are lying to me.” he accuses her.

“Why would I be lying?”

“I don’t know maybe because it’s someone that I do know and that someone happens to be our boss?” Busted, she thinks and gulps.

“I’m not sleeping with Gibson.” she deflects.

“Wasn’t talking about him.”

“I’m also not sleeping with either of the Herrera’s.” Travis laughs before looking slightly disgusted.

“Wasn’t talking about them either and eww, Cap is like our dad. That would be just wrong. I’m talking about someone higher up the food chain.”  

Fuck, Vic thinks.

“Come on, Vic. You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

“I really have no idea, Travis. I told you it’s no one you know but here you are accusing me of lying to you.” she defends herself.

“Alright, so you met up with Ripley this morning because?” Vic’s eyes widen.

“What?” she knows that she has been caught. There is no way she can lie her way out of this.

Travis finally removes his hands from behind his back and reveals the coffee cup that Lucas had brought her this morning.

“Well, I would love to hear you explain why you are drinking Ripley’s coffee then.” he asks as he shows her Ripley’s name on the cup. 

She must have grabbed the wrong one when they were leaving her apartment in a hurry.

“Fuck!” she exclaims as Travis nods. “Did anyone else see this?” he shakes his head.

“How did this happen? And when? I want details. NOW!” he demands as he hands her the cup.

She quickly drowns it and scratches the name out before throwing it away.

“I don’t think it’s wise to talk about this here. Anyone could hear us and I need to call Lucas because if I have his coffee that means he has mine. This could end in a disaster.” Travis nods.

“I can’t believe you are sleeping with Ripley but then again he is hot, so.” Travis shrugs and Vic can’t tell whether he is proud of her or disappointed in her for sleeping with the big boss.

Vic quickly dials Lucas. He picks up on the first ring.

“Where is your coffee?” she asks without even a hello.

“Hello to you too, Victoria.” he sounds amused.

“Luke, this is important. Where is your coffee from this morning?”

“I drank it and threw it away. Why?”

“Where did you throw it away?” she asks and she must sound crazy to him.

“The trash can outside headquarters. What is this about, Victoria?” he sounds worried now.

“I accidentally grabbed your coffee and it had your name on it which means that you had the one with my name on it and Travis found it and he knows about us and I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I know I messed up and if you want to stops this thing between us I would totally understand.” she talks a mile a minute as she looks in Travis’ direction and he sits down next to her and puts his arm around her shoulder for comfort. She leans against his shoulder.

“It’s not ideal, Victoria but it’s fine. You trust him, right?”

“I do.”

“And he knows that he can’t tell anyone?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Then we are okay.” Vic breathes a sigh of relief.

“Are you sure? I mean we just started this so I would totally understand.”

“You’ve kinda ruined me for other women,Victoria Hughes.” he admits, making her chuckle and she knows that Travis heard him say it because he is trying really hard not to squeal and instead just grins at her.

“That’s good to know.” she replies as the klaxxon goes off asking for an aid car which is her and Travis for today.

“I gotta go, Luke. I’ll talk to you later.” she hangs up as her and Travis jump up from the bed and head downstairs towards the aid car.

\----------

Vic is driving and Travis can’t help but stare at her.

“Just ask already. I know you are dying to know all the details.”

“How did that happen? When did it happen? And how was he? And I don’t mind if you answer the last question first.” 

“It happened during peer reviews...” she starts but Travis interrupts her.

“Wait, I thought you yelled at him during that?”

“Well, if you let me continue...” she complains.

“Sorry, go on.”

“As I was saying. It was during peer reviews and I did yell at him and I guess he was impressed and slightly aroused and the next thing I know, I order him to lock the door and close the blinds and well, you can imagine the rest.” Travis watches her as she blushes.

“You did it right there? At the station? Where everyone could hear you?” Vic just nods and blushes even more.

“Damn! How was it?” Vic doesn’t answer instead her whole face turns bright red and it goes all the way down to her neck and that’s when he notices the hickey.

“OMG, is that a hickey? He marked you?” Vic nods.

“Please tell me you marked him too?” she continues to nod and Travis is losing it.

“So, you were waiting for him when I showed up the other night?”

“Yeah.” she finally speaks again.

“Okay Vic, I need more words. Give me something! Anything!”

“I stopped counting after orgasm number seven?” Travis almost chokes on his own spit. 

“Holy shit! Great job there, Chief! Putting all the young guys to shame. So, he is really that good?” Travis wiggles his eyebrows at her.

“You have no idea. I mean, the things this man can do with his, well with his everything. I was so sore yesterday that we just spend the day on my couch eating and talking. Though he did go down on me while we were watching TV and let me tell you, it was heaven. I thought I died and I could hear the angels sing. I mean a lot of guys don’t like doing it or only do it so the girl can blow them in return but not Lucas. He could have stayed there for hours. I mean, he kinda did. I never had a guy enjoy eating me out as much as he did.” it finally spills from her lips and Travis feels himself blush at her recollection of the encounter.

“He sounds like a keeper.” Travis sounds slightly hoarse and Vic laughs at how this is affecting him.

“He totally is. If I could have I would have never let him leave my apartment.”

“So, he didn’t stay two nights in a row?”

“No, he went home and showed up this morning with breakfast and coffee.”

“And you two totally had a quickie, am I right? That’s why you were late.” she nods and grins at him.

“Wow, I gotta say I’m impressed and proud and slightly jealous.” he admits.

“So you don’t think I’m being stupid?” she wonders.

“Oh no, I totally think that you are being stupid and that this is bound to come out at some point but see it this way. You will be really, really satisfied when that happens. So, I would take this as a win.” he laughs as Vic shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“Look, you don’t have to worry about me. I won’t tell anyone unless he hurts you, then I will be reporting his fine ass.”

“That’s fair.”

“But something tells me that he is totally smitten with you already.” Vic blushes again as she stops the car.

“Okay, enough talking about my sex life. We have a victim to take care off.” she tells him as she hops out of the car and goes to work.


	5. Hot Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas get together after the events from 1.09 Hot Box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this one. And yes there is a lot of sex in their relationship atm. Vic just really enjoys her beginning-of-relationship spice.

It’s been two weeks since they started sleeping together. They see each other every other day. The sex is incredible that one morning, she thinks about calling in sick, so she can stay in bed with Lucas for the rest of the day. He considers it for a second, thinks that he could manage to get her the day off, so he can keep getting her off, but then gets called into work on his day off. Station 19 ends up getting called to the same scene the moment her shift starts an hour later. When Vic almost slips up and calls him Lucas in front of her team, she is glad that Travis knows about them because he intervenes and saves them from being discovered. Travis demands a gift from Vic for keeping their secret and Lucas gladly chips in.

Another shift is over and they are sitting in a bar after the whole fiasco with the garage. Dean had punched in the wrong code which had resulted in half her team being trapped and almost suffocating. They barely managed to get them out but they did. So now, they are out celebrating.

Vic is sitting with Dean and talking to him when Jack joins them and demands to know what happened during the call. Vic covers for Dean, like he is still doing for her about her fear of fire, and Jack easily accepts her explanation and leaves them be. 

She is nursing her beer when she sees Lucas walk into the bar with Captain Herrera. He is wearing his uniform and she feels herself getting wet by just looking at him. He is one fine Chief and all hers. She can’t wait to go home with him. She watches him as he walks to the bar, quickly drowns her beer and stands up.

“I’m gonna get another beer. Can I get you anything?” she asks Dean who shakes his head.

“No, thanks. I think I had enough for today.” Vic nods and joins Lucas at the bar.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” she tells him and he quickly looks at her and smiles.

“I just wanted to check in on the team. I heard what happened today. Are you okay?” he looks worried and she likes that about him.

“I wasn’t the one locked in the garage. You should be asking Herrera, Bishop and Gibson that.”

“But I want to know how  _ you _ are doing.” 

“I’m fine, Luke.” she gives him a quick smile before ordering another beer and two tequila shots. 

She feels Lucas move a bit closer to her and the heat that is radiating from his body, makes her all warm and fuzzy on the inside and makes her weak in the knees. She hopes nobody notices.

“You look gorgeous by the way. I love when you let your hair down. Can’t wait to run my fingers through it later tonight.” he whispers into her ear in a deep, husky voice and it runs through her body like electricity. 

The bartender interrupts their moment when he hands her the drinks and when she goes to pay for them Lucas puts his hand on top of hers, stopping her. She loves his touch, hasn’t felt it in over 72 hours and she is craving it. He seems to do as well because his hand remains on hers a little longer than it probably should.

“Let me.” he tells her as he pays for her drinks and finally removes his hand from hers.

“Drink up, Chief.” she says as she hands him one of the shots but he declines.

“I can’t, Victoria. I’m driving.” she pouts but understands. She still orders him to take it.

“You don’t have to drink it, Mr. Responsible. Just toast with me.” she tells him and he takes it.

“To another day of not dying on the job.” Vic jokes and he gives her an unamused look. She ignores it before drowning one of the shots and then taking the other from him and doing the same with it before leaning closer to him and whispering into his ear like he did just a moment ago.

“We’ll stay another half hour and then we are outta here. I need you inside me.” she purrs the last sentence and he almost chokes on his water as she walks away.

As she walks back to her booth, she realizes that Dean is no longer sitting in there, so she joins Maya at the table.

“What was that about?” she asks.

“What was what about?” Vic wonders.

“You and the Chief? You two looked pretty cozy over there.” Vic’s eyes widen slightly as she is trying to think of what to say.

“He just wanted to know about the call today.”

“And that’s why he had to lean in?” Vic is glad that she didn’t see him hold her hand.

“The music was too loud and I didn’t hear him that well, so he leaned in. No big deal.” Vic feels herself sweating. She hates lying to her team but Lucas is one secret that she desperately wants and needs to keep for the time being.

“Why did he ask you what happened when Andy, Jack and me were the ones trapped?” 

“Because he worries about all his people and I told him to ask the three of you.”

“And what about the shots?”

“Maya, what’s with the 20 questions?”

“Nothing. Just you seemed really close to him. The last time I checked you yelled at him. I can’t imagine him being so forgiving and just drinking shots with you.” she is starting to grate on Vic’s nerves.

“Well, if you have to know. I just apologized to him about that and the shot was a peace offering and he didn’t drink it, something about having to drive. We just toasted to a clean slate. That is all.” Maya wants to ask another question when Lucas joins their table and Vic is glad for his interruption and for not standing next to her.

“Bishop, how are you doing after today? I was worried about you people from 19. Hughes told me to check with you since you were one of the people trapped.” Maya looks at Vic who gives her an  _ I-told-you-so _ look.

“I’m fine, sir. Nothing a couple of beers can’t cure.” she tells him and Lucas chuckles and walks away to check on the rest of the team.

Twenty minutes later, she gets a text from him, telling her that he is around the corner, waiting in his car. She stays another five minutes before saying goodnight to her friends and then leaves.

She can’t wait to be with Lucas tonight. It has been too long. The moment she reaches his car and hops in, she attacks him. He is surprised and it takes him a moment but he recovers quickly and is kissing her back like he is starving for her lips and tongue. They make out for a bit when there is a knock on the window and they pull away, panic all over their faces that they have been discovered.

They both sigh in relief when it’s Travis. Vic opens her window and looks at him with a mix of annoyance for interrupting them and relief on her face. 

“It’s like the two of you want to get caught.” he tells them and Vic blushes.

“We haven’t been together in over 72 hours.” she admits, making Travis roll his eyes at them.

“You are worse than teenagers and I think even they have more self-control and that is saying a lot because they like have none. And well, since I already got you here, how about you drive me to Grant’s restaurant and I’ll forget about this whole thing.” he says as he hops into the backseat, not giving Lucas much of a choice then to comply.

The drive isn’t nearly as awkward as Vic would have thought. Travis and Lucas talk about the job and she just listens to them and throws in her own thoughts every once in a while.

Ten minutes later, they stop in front of Grant’s restaurant, Travis thanks them and leaves.

“You know, we really need to be more careful unless you want your entire team to know about us.” he tells her as he drives to her place.

“I’m sorry about before. I just couldn’t wait. It’s been too long since the last time we’ve been together.” she apologizes as he grabs her left hand and kisses it.

“It’s okay. I missed you, too.” she gives him a small smile and he smiles back at her before turning his eyes back on the road.

He parks in front of her building, opens the door for her - ever the gentleman - and they walk inside hand in hand. 

The elevator doors haven’t even closed yet when he fuses their lips together and starts kissing her desperately. Her mouth opens up in an instant as his tongue slides inside to explore and taste her. Vic can’t help but moan into the kiss. She loves kissing him, could spend all day long doing it. Her arms wrap around his neck while his hands are on her ass, pulling her closer to him, letting her feel just how turned on he is by all this. Vic is pretty sure that her panties are soaked by the time the elevator doors open again and they step out, holding hands again.

She fumbles inside her bag to find the keys while he is nibbling on her neck, making her forget what she is looking for.

“Fuck, Luke. I can’t concentrate with you doing this.” he chuckles from behind her but doesn’t stop, instead he grinds his half-hard cock against her ass, making her almost drop her keys as she finally manages to pull them out of her bag. She opens the door with trembling hands, she barely manages to get the keys out of the door before walking inside and slamming it shut.

The next thing she knows she is being hoisted up and pushed against the door while he attacks her neck, kissing, sucking and biting it.

“Oh fuck, Luke. You better not be leaving any hickeys this time. The other ones just faded.” she warns him and he chuckles into her neck before kissing her lips again. His hands grab her ass and he places her on the little table next to the door. He slides her jacket off her shoulder as she does his as well. He is pulling at her shirt, taking it off in one swift move, revealing a pink lacy bra which makes him groan. The sound goes straight to Vic’s pussy as it clenches and she needs to have this man inside her, like yesterday.

“Please, stop playing around and just fuck me already.” he pulls away slightly to look at her. His eyes are dark and he is breathing heavily and Vic just loves the effect she has on him.

He doesn’t waste any time as he practically rips her clothes off her body, then removes his own and then finally slides into her warm, wet heat.

She moans as he fills and stretches her and starts pounding into her, hard and fast. She comes ridiculously fast as he stops thrusting, still hard and deep inside of her.

“Good thing we both have the day off tomorrow, so we can sleep in. You will need the rest.” he growls into her ear as he grabs her by the thighs and lifts her off the table. Her legs wrap around his hips to keep him from slipping out of her. He walks them into her bedroom and carefully puts her down with him on top of her, never breaking contact. He starts moving again, sliding in and out of her slowly. Her nails are digging into his back as he thrusts into her with more force now, making her scream for him to keep going, keep fucking her as hard as he can. He does as ordered as he sets a punishing pace and just rams into her. The pure pleasure on her face makes him impossibly hard as he just keeps thrusting into her. Her muscles are clenching around him and he wants to come but he needs her to come again. Can’t just let go before she hasn’t reached another climax. So, he starts talking, tells her how amazing she feels around him, how much he loves being inside of her and giving her pleasure. She moans and screams as she comes apart again, hard. He just keeps thrusting through her orgasm.

“Oh god, Lucas. Please don’t stop. Please make me come again. This feels so good and I’m so close again.” she moans and pleads with him and he can’t deny her as he sits on his knees, grabbing her legs and placing them on his shoulders as he keeps sliding in and out of her. This position seems to work for both of them as he grabs her hips and fucks into her harder, making her breasts bounce with the force of his thrusts. Her hands are gripping the sheets so tight that her knuckles are white and she is rambling nonsense now, telling him to not stop, to keep going. 

“Please, Victoria. Let go for me.” He watches as one of her hands plays with her nipples, carelessly tweaking them, while the other hand moves down to where they are joined and presses down hard on her clit, making her pussy clench around his cock and then she is coming a third time. He keeps thrusting into her, prolonging her orgasm, until he can’t anymore and finally lets go and spills into her.

He remains buried inside of her a little longer, both trying to catch their breaths, until he finally pulls out and goes to her bathroom to grab a wet cloth. He returns and helps her clean up before plopping down beside her, taking her into his arms.

“That was amazing.” she tells him as she kisses his lips.

“I ain’t done with you yet. We have some catching up to do.” he smirks as he starts kissing his way down her body, making her moan again as he sucks on her nipples and bites them lightly, teasing her. She can already feel herself getting wet again and can’t wait for him to eat her out. He has such a talented tongue.

“Please, Luke. I need you.” she purrs.

“What do you need, babe.” he asks as he kisses the inside of her thighs, moving closer to her core.

“I need your tongue on my clit. Please, just...” her words get stuck in her throat as he finally takes mercy on her and his tongue glides over her clit, flicking it and then sucking on it lightly.

“Oh fuck, yes. Just like that. Suck harder.” Vic has never been shy in the bedroom, has always been vocal about what she wants and needs from her partner and loved when they obeyed but giving orders to her Chief and bossing him around is even hotter and her Chief has no problem at all taking her orders. She is pretty sure that it turns him on.

He does as ordered as he grabs her thighs and buries his face between them, sucking on her clit firmly as she cries out for him to keep going. Her hips are moving against his lips as she moans and feels herself getting closer. 

He grunts against her sex as her fingers find their way into his hair and she pulls at his blonde curls while writhing underneath him. She feels his fingers teasing her opening as he pushes two inside, then a third one and her muscles clench around them instantly, making him groan louder as he keeps sucking on her clit while his fingers piston in and out of her and she can feel it down to her toes as the pleasure courses through her body and she comes with a shout of his name. He keeps licking at her as she comes down from her high until she is too sensitive. He kisses his way back up and slides his tongue into her mouth. His beard is wet from her juices and she can taste herself on him and it’s intoxicating.

“You taste so good.” he confesses as keeps kissing her. She feels him hard against her as he commands her to lie on her side. She does as told as he settles behind her, grasps himself and slowly slides into her, making her sigh as he fucks her slowly, just enjoying the feel of her around him. She is so tight from coming so many times that he feels like he could come in a second but he wants to give her as much pleasure as he can, so he resists and just concentrates on her. His fingers find her swollen, sensitive clit. He barely touches it and she is already clenching around him, moaning into her pillow as he grunts behind her and keeps up with the slow pace.

“Do you want me to go faster or keep it slow?” he wants to know.

“Slow and deeper. I want to feel all of you.” she instructs as she angles her hips just slightly and it pushes him deeper into her. She can feel him bottoming out inside of her and it makes them both shudder and groan. He pulls almost all the way out and then slides back into her a little bit harder. He keeps the slow pace but thrusts with a bit more force, letting her feel all of him like she asked for.

“Fuck!” they moan in unison as he sheats himself inside her over and over again. 

“I love how you feel inside of me. So deep and hard.” she whines as her hand joins his and she presses their fingers down on her bundle of nerves, hard. The result is instantaneous as she clamps down on him and comes quietly, taking him with her as he spills into her again. Neither one moves as they stay connected. She turns her head to kiss his lips as she finally stops clenching around him, allowing him to pull out, missing his length immediately.

She gets up from her bed and walks into the bathroom, cleans up quickly, not wanting to wake up with their mess between her legs. She goes back into her bedroom and finds him already underneath the covers as he holds them up for her to join him. She slides into bed, kisses him one more time before snuggling into his chest. They both fall asleep incredibly tired but also very satisfied and happy.


	6. Nobody wants to be lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas doesn't want to be alone so he visits Vic but she is not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: If you are not comfortable with period sex, then you should skip that part. 
> 
> This chapter ended up longer than I thought it would be. I hope you all enjoy.

Lucas is having a shitty day at work. He spends it mostly dealing with stupid people and paperwork, two things that he hates with a passion. It’s really late and he is just glad that he can finally leave and go home but when he comes home, he realizes that ever since he started this thing with Victoria he hates the quiet and how lonely he feels in his big house. He quickly grabs a small bag and fills it with some clothes and then he is back in his car and on his way to her. They haven’t made any plans for tonight and he knows that she is working tomorrow and so is he and they usually don’t get together if both have to work the next day but he wants to see her.

He parks in front of her place, grabs his bag, locks his car and walks into the building. He uses the elevator up to her apartment, too tired to use the stairs like he usually does.

He checks his watch again to make sure it’s not too late before knocking on her door, hoping that she is still awake. The door swings open a moment later but instead of Victoria he finds himself face to face with Montgomery.

“Chief?” the younger men looks surprised.

“Montgomery! I -- I should have called. I didn’t realize Victoria had company. I should probably just leave.” 

“Travis, don’t forget to tip the pizza guy.” he hears her voice from inside the apartment.

“It’s not the pizza guy.” Travis screams back and Lucas chuckles amused as he hears footsteps and then her head is peeking out from behind Montgomery and she looks at him confused.

“Luke? What are you doing here? Did we have plans and I forgot?” she wonders as Travis excuses himself and goes back inside.

“No, we didn’t. I just wanted to see you. My house felt so empty and big and you know, it doesn’t matter. You are obviously busy and I should have called. Sorry for interrupting your evening. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” he hangs his head and shoulders and then turns around to walk away but she grabs his hand and pulls him towards her into a hug. He drops his bag and wraps his arms around her holding her close to him. They stay like that for a while until they hear someone clear their throat. As they pull apart, they see the pizza guy standing there, rolling his eyes at them.

Lucas takes out his wallet and pays for the pizzas before Vic can, he grabs his bag from the floor while Vic takes the pizzas and they walk inside her apartment. He takes off his shoes and jacket and watches as she joins her best friend on her sofa and follows her.

“I hope you don’t mind me joining you two, Montgomery?” he asks as he sits down beside Victoria who immediately snuggles into him while happily chewing a slice of pizza. Lucas smiles at her and just loves how her body immediately reacts to his. He puts his arm around her and pulls her closer. Travis turns to look at them and smiles at them.

“Don’t worry about it, sir. Also, you can call me Travis. I mean you are dating my best friend, so.” suddenly he hears Vic coughing next to him and he looks at her concerned, realizing that she is choking on a piece of pizza, probably because of what Travis just said.

“Are you okay?” both men ask as Lucas pats her on the back and Travis hands her a glass of water. She quickly takes a sip and swallows the piece of food that went down the wrong pipe. She coughs a few more times and then settles back against Lucas again, seemingly okay.

“I’m okay now.” she tells them like nothing had happened.

“You can call me Lucas. When we are in private, of course.” Travis nods at him. No one dares to bring up dating again.

They eat in silence as they watch a movie. Lucas has no idea what it is about but it seems to be a comedy since Victoria and Travis are laughing the entire time and he enjoys that sound a lot, not just her laughing, even though Lucas has to admit her laugh is one of his favorite things about her, but just in general laughter and happiness. Being the Chief can be lonely. A lot of the friends that he had before he became the Chief decided to no longer be his friends when he became their boss and those that remained his friends had their wives and children to go home to. Even Frankel had a personal life with a wife and a couple of dogs.

“Lucas?” he feels someone lightly pat his arm and looks up to see Travis staring at him.

“Sorry!” he apologizes while Travis looks at him curiously.

“You okay? I’ve been calling your name a couple of time before you finally reacted?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about a few things.” Lucas explains as he looks at Victoria and realizes that she had fallen asleep against his chest and he smiles at her.

“I should probably leave but can I ask you a question first?” Travis wonders.

“Sure.”

“What is this to you?” Travis points at Vic and Lucas looks at her again before back up at Travis.

“Whatever she wants it to be. I like her but the decision is hers because at the end of the day she has a lot more to lose than me just because she is a woman.”

“So, if she decides to walk away from this, what happens then?”

“I will let her do just that. If she no longer wants to see me outside of work then I will respect it.”

“Just like that?” Travis asks.

“Just like that.” he assures him.

“And what about her job?”

“Her job has nothing to do with this thing between us. I would never take it out on her job if she chooses to walk away from this. I’m not that guy.” Travis nods at him.

“That’s good to know.”

“Look, I know that I’m the Chief and she just stopped being a rookie a while ago and I’m quite a few years older than her and I know that I should probably have never let it get this far because this could mess with both our careers but Victoria is special. There is something about her that makes it hard to just walk away.” Travis chuckles and nods in agreement.

“I know the feeling. Just don’t hurt her. She is my best friend and she is amazing and deserves to be happy. So, if you do hurt her, intentionally, that is, I will report you. I don’t care that you are the Chief and my boss. She’s the one that I care about most. Do you understand?”

“I do, Travis. I’m happy she has you. Friends like you are hard to come by these days.” he smiles at him somewhat sadly because of the lack of friends in his life.

“Thanks, Chief -- I mean Lucas.” Lucas chuckles. “It’s kinda weird because you  _ are _ my boss. Maybe I can just call you Ripley or Rip?”

“I’m okay with both. I used to have a friend that called me Rip.”

“What happened to him?”

“It’s a long, painful story. Maybe another time, Travis.” the younger men nods and stands up from the couch.

“I should probably go. It’s getting late. Goodnight, Rip.” he says before leaning down to kiss Vic’s head. “Goodnight, Vic.”

Lucas watches as Travis leaves. He quickly turns off the TV and then carefully picks Victoria up from the couch and carries her into her bedroom. She is already in her pyjamas, so he places her on the bed and pulls the covers over her tired body. He quickly changes into his own sleeping attire before snuggling into bed with her and just like before her body immediately wraps itself around his with her head resting on his chest, her arm around his waist and her leg in between his. He falls asleep content and happy.

\----------

Vic wakes up the next day in Lucas’ arms. She loves it when they are spooning like that and she realizes that it’s the first time they had slept together without actually sleeping together. She feels like she should be scared because things seem to be moving really fast with him but she enjoys his company and loves having him around. She likes how he makes her feel.

She feels him wake up behind her and can’t help but giggle when she feels him rub his beard against her shoulder and neck.

“Good morning, babe.” she smiles at the nickname. She has gotten used to it by now and loves it but it still makes her smile when the Chief of the Fire Department calls her that.

“Good morning, Luke. Are you working today?” she asks and he nods against her shoulder.

“I wanted to apologize again for last night. I should have called first before interrupting your evening with Travis.” he apologizes and she finally turns in his arms to look at him.

“Don’t worry about it. I like having you here. I like hanging out with you and Travis and that you two seem to get along.” she admits and he gives her that smile that makes her weak in the knees.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“Are we dating?” she asks suddenly, taking him by surprise.

“I don’t know. Do you want us to be dating?” he wonders.

“I guess. I mean, I’m not seeing anyone else and I don’t plan to unless you want to then...” he stops her.

“No, I don’t want to see anyone but you.” he tells her as he pulls her closer and kisses her gently.

They make out for a while until his hand moves between her legs and she stops him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks worried.

“Uhm, it’s the time of the month, so no sex.” she tells him trying not to blush. It’s a little bit weird telling your boss that but then again right now he is not her boss but the guy she is dating.

“We could move this to the shower. Less messy.” he suggests and she looks at him surprised.  _ That’s a first _ , she thinks. The guys she dated previously would get this look of disgust whenever they would hear her tell them that she was on her period. But of course that’s not Lucas Ripley.

“Really? You don’t find this disgusting?”

“Uhm, no. I mean, it’s a natural thing which happens each month. Nothing disgusting about it. I never had a problem with it unless of course you are not comfortable with it or are in pain.” she shakes her head before leaning down to kiss him.

“You, Lucas Ripley, are something else.” she tells him and kisses him again as he chuckles into the kiss. 

“Right back at you, Victoria Hughes.” she gives him one more kiss before standing up.

“Give me a moment.” she tells him as she walks into her bathroom.

She quickly uses the toilet and disposes of the tampon before taking off her pyjamas and hoping into the shower. A moment later, she hears the shower door open and Lucas stepping in behind her. He kisses her neck and his hands go straight to her breasts as he softly massages them but they are really sensitive when she is on her period, so she hisses in discomfort and he immediately stops what he is doing.

“Too sensitive?” she nods against his chest. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. They are usually not that sensitive, only when I’m on my period.”

“You sure you want me to continue?” she can hear the concern in her voice and she turns around to look at him.

“Hey, you promised me morning sex and you can’t take it back now. Just don’t touch my boobs.” she laughs and turns back around again.

One of his arms goes around her waist to steady her while the other is moving down her abdomen, further down to where she needs him most, carefully circling the bundle of nerves there, making her moan. Her head rolls back against his chest again while he just plays with her clit for a while, going slow at first and then rubbing faster until her knees buckle and she comes against his fingers with a shout.

“I love when you scream my name like that.” she chuckles as she slowly comes down from her high.

“You have a knack for me yelling.” he chuckles as well as he kisses the spot behind her ear that makes her sigh.

“Are you ready for me?” he whispers into her ear and she feels like she is about to melt. That man and his voice. She could come from just listening to it. She just nods her head and then he is slowly sliding into her, inch by inch and she gasps.

“You okay?” he stops and she nods but tells him that she needs a moment. “We can stop.” she shakes her head.

“Just need a moment. You are not exactly small.” she tells him and he snickers behind her.

“And you are tighter than usual.” he confesses and she can’t help it as her inner muscles contract around him and squeeze him tightly.

“Fuck!” he groans but remains still.

“You can move now.” she tells him as he slides further into her until she has taken him all the way inside her body.

“I don’t think I’m gonna last long.” he moans and she nods.

“Neither will I and we have to get ready for work, so get to it, Chief.” she teases as he starts moving inside of her, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting back in. She braces herself against the showerwall, forehead on her arm as he goes a little faster with each thrust but tries to not go too hard. She can tell that he doesn’t want to hurt her.

“Luke, you can go a bit harder. I’m not gonna break.” he does as told as he pounds into her with more force while she plays with her clit and it doesn’t take much for her to finally come around him. He follows a moment later.

They stay still, try to catch their breaths until he finally pulls out. He was right about it being a bit of a mess, so she is grateful that they are in the shower but she is also happy that they did it because she feels so relaxed right now.

They finish their shower and gets dressed. Lucas checks his watch and tells her that they still have time for breakfast, gives her a quick kiss before leaving her bedroom to prepare something for them while she fixes her hair and applies some make-up.

When she emerges from her bedroom, there is already fresh coffee and french toast with fruits on the table and she smiles before taking a seat next to him. They eat in comfortable silence as she steals some of his blackberries but he doesn’t mind because he steals her raspberries.

“I can drive you to work. Well, not all the way to work because that would be suspicious but I’m  heading there anyway, so.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I’m conducting some more interviews with the candidates for the Captain’s position.” he informs her.

“So, you are really going to go with someone from outside the house?” she pouts.

“I don’t know yet. I’m just keeping my options open. Herrera and Gibson are good but...” he stops suddenly.

“But what?”

“I really shouldn't be talking to you about this.”

“It’s not like I can tell anyone. Something happened that made you look elsewhere.”

“Captain Herrera told me to.” Vic can’t hide the surprise and hurt.

“He did what? How could he do that to Andy? I mean she is his daughter. That’s really messed up.”

“You can’t tell anyone that you know about this, Victoria.” his expression is serious and she nods.

“Don’t worry. I won’t. Poor Andy. That must suck that her own dad is not supporting her.” Vic gets up to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. She is quite upset with Pruitt on Andy’s behalf but she knows that she can’t show that since she is not supposed to know. She hears Lucas walk in and stand behind her. He brings his arms around her waist and hugs her to him, kisses her cheek.

“I’m not saying that I will listen to him. Herrera and Gibson still have a chance.” he tells her and she nods.

“We should go or we will be late.” she turns in his arms and quickly kisses him before moving out of his embrace to grab her things while he grabs his. A moment later, they are leaving her apartment, walking downstairs and to his car. They hold hands the entire time.

He drops her off at the coffeehouse, three minutes away from her station. She quickly goes in to grab a coffee for herself and muffins for her team 

She arrives at 19 a couple of minutes later and finds her team in the Beanery drinking coffee.

“Guys, I bought muffins.” she announces.

“What’s the occasion?” Maya asks and Vic simply shrugs as she watches Lucas walk in.

“Chief Ripley, what are you doing here?” Maya asks. “Not that there’s anything wrong with you being here, sir.” Lucas chuckles.

“Good morning to you too, Bishop.” he greets her.

“Sorry, sir. Good morning, sir.” Vic bites her tongue to not laugh at Maya.

“19, I’m sorry for taking over your station today. I will try my best to not be in your way.” everyone nods at him. “Hughes, please bring a carafe of coffee to the interview room.” he orders.

“On it, Chief.” she sees Travis smirk at her, making her blush. Lucas notices and smiles before leaving the kitchen.

She walks into “their” room a few minutes later, bringing him coffee like he asked. She blushes as she remembers their first time there as he watches her with hungry eyes. She knows that he is thinking about it too.

“Here is your coffee, Chief. Is there anything else I can do for you?” she asks suggestively as he grabs the carafe from her and leans in closer to whisper into her ear.

“You are driving me crazy, Hughes.” she has to hold on to the table because she feels weak in the knees.

“Right back at you, Chief.” she purrs before pulling away from him, giving him a wink and leaving the room.

She finds Andy and Maya in the turnout room a moment later, arguing about something.

“Hey, why is Ripley holding all the interviews with the captain wannabes here? I don't like the idea of all the other candidates being in our space, all up in our business.” Maya gives her a look.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t mind the Chief being up in your business.” Maya smirks and it has Vic blush slightly.

“You mean like you didn’t mind Dearborn being up in yours last night?” Andy counters and Vic is glad for it.

“I told you, I didn't know who she was!” Maya defends herself.

“Wait. Hang on. Did I just miss something? What did I just miss?” Vic asks curiously but Maya ignores her.

“Okay. What are you gonna say in your meeting today, if you've decided you've already lost this thing?”

“What? No! No, no, no. Wrong attitude. Don't think that.” Vic knows exactly why but she can’t say anything. She promised Lucas.

“I'm just gonna be true to myself, all right? That's all I can do.”

“Okay, hey. I'm sensing some resignation here, and I don't like it. The Incinerator may have been bad, but that doesn't mean you're completely out of the running. Don’t think that way. You still have a chance. I know you do.” That’s the best she can give Andy without giving anything away.

“Thanks, Vic.” Andy smiles at her.

The rest of the morning is rather slow. No calls, just chores. Lucas is busy with his interviews and some of the wannabe Captain’s are roaming around her station and she doesn’t like it one bit. She hopes they are going to leave soon.

As if on cue, she hears the klaxxon announce a fire at a skyscraper downtown and she watches as all the wannabe Captains rush past her, followed by Lucas.

She watches him go into the turnout room and quickly follows him, making sure that nobody sees her.

“Hey!” she announces herself as she watches him grab his gear.

He turns around to look at her and smiles as he stands in front of her.

“19 probably won’t get called in for this one but if you do, stay safe.” he tells her.

“You too, Lucas.” she takes a look around before standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

He smiles one more time before leaving her station. Neither of them knowing that this day will change everything.


	7. Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas experience the skyscraper events as a couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No sexy time in this one but angsty time.

The day remains slow as one after another station gets called in to help at the skyscraper. Maya is getting restless. Andy has them checking hoses and prepare for when they get called in which doesn’t look very likely. Vic is happy about that. Hopes that they don’t get called in or later when the fire is already out since she still has that little problem of being scared of it. Maya is the opposite of Vic, she can’t wait to get in there and tackle the “beast”.

It’s late at night, when Vic finds Andy and Maya sitting on the couch. They are watching the news and she can hear Lucas talking about incident, there is a also picture of him on the television. She can’t help but think how attractive he is but she is also relieved that he is okay.

“I just want to get in there.” Maya whines.

“Maybe they won’t need us. I mean if we never get called in, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” Vic tells them as she stands in front of the TV, so she doesn’t have to look at his handsome face and give Maya more ammunition to tease her about her “crush” on Chief Ripley.

“It’s worse than worse.” Andy replies.

“That would kill my soul.” says Maya, overdramatic as usual. Vic gives her a look and Maya motions her to move away from the TV so she can watch.

Vic sits down on the couch and they start talking about Jack wanting to leave if he doesn’t make captain and Vic feels like things are changing and she hopes that Lucas will make the right choice and even though her and Jack are not the closest, she doesn’t want him to leave. He is part of her little family here at 19. They watch a little while longer until they finally get called in and Maya is ecstatic while Vic is dreading it.

They finally arrive at the scene. Andy gives them instructions as they walk into the building to find Lucas there giving orders.

He walks over to where they are standing and thanks Ryan and the other officers for their help but tells them that it’s time for them to leave.

He turns his attention at her team again.

“Station 19, excellent response time.” he quickly looks at her with a slight smirk and she wants to wipe it off his face.

He gives them instructions and lets them know that he mainly needs them where there is the active fire and Vic can feel herself getting anxious. She is glad when Maya volunteers them for the floor without the fire. 

“Thank you, by the way, for volunteering us for the floor with no fire.” she tells Maya as they are checking for smoke.

“Are any of the drills helping?” Maya wants to know.

“I think I see an improvement, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. You know, that thing with Jack leaving the station, if I don't get over my fear soon, that'll be me, too. I'll have to quit.” she tells her sadly. She doesn’t want to leave her family behind.

“You'll get over your fear.” Vic thinks it’s nice that Maya believes in her but she is not sure.

“Haven't yet.”

They continue to keep the civilians on the floor above the fire but they are getting nervous and just want to leave but they can’t just let them go. They still haven’t gotten the okay yet.

It takes a while longer until the can finally evacuate and as Maya is counting the people and dividing them into groups, Vic hears a weird sound. She doesn’t get an answer from Maya when she asks her about it. She keeps calling her but Maya doesn’t react and the next thing she knows there is an explosion and she is tackling Maya to the ground as the windows explode and  there is fire and glass everywhere. She civials are screaming and running downstairs all at once while Vic stands there and watches the fire.

“Vic. Vic.” Maya finally gets her attention.

“Get everyone out safe. I'll hook a hose to the pipe and knock a path out to the stairwell.” she hears herself say.

“Are you sure?” Maya looks surprised.

“More than sure. I'm good. I'm freaking great, actually. I got this.” and just like that Victoria Hughes is back. She is happy about it, happy that she doesn’t have to say goodbye to her job and family although dating Lucas would be a whole lot easier if he wasn’t her boss.

Vic and Maya manage to get the fire under control and make their way downstairs when they stumble upon Andy who is running upstairs, babbling something about Jack being trapped and she needs to get to him. Maya goes with her and tells Vic to go and get as many people as she can to help them.

Vic races down the stairs, one flight after another, nothing can stop her until she finds Travis lying unconscious in the middle of the stairwell. Her breath hitches and she thinks she is about to throw up. He is bleeding from his chest and she is doing her best not to cry.

“Travis! Travis! OMG! OMG!” she screams but he doesn’t react.

“Have a pulse. Have a pulse.” she chants over and over as she takes off her glove to check for it. It takes a moment but she finally feels it and she feels relieved that he is still alive. She keeps shaking him, telling him to open his eyes, screaming at him to finally open his eyes and he does at last. She grabs him and starts dragging him down the stairs as she chants “We can do this. We can do this.”

“Ah, see? If it hurts, it means you still have enough life in you to care, which means we are getting you the hell out of this place!” Vic tells him as he groans in pain.

“Stop.” he tells her weakly but she is not listening. She needs to get him downstairs to get him help. He needs a doctor. 

“Not a chance.” She’ll be damned if she let him die on her watch.

She keeps yelling at him to stay awake but he is unconscious so she moves a bit faster until Dean almost runs them over on his way up. She yells at him to help  _ her _ when Dean tells her he came back for Jack. She tells him that Andy and Maya are looking for Jack and that she is the one in need of help and not them.

“How about you have Montgomery's back, okay? He's the one bleeding out all over my boots right now. How about that?! Let's go!” Vic gets upset and screams at him, leaving him no choice but to help her carry Travis downstairs.

They finally make it out of the skyscraper and carry Travis onto a stretcher as he is being given oxygen and fluids and prepped for the hospital. Vic walks away trying to catch her breath, not wanting to think about any of this.

“Hey. You should get checked out, too. You need hydration. Probably some O2.” Lucas stands right in front of her looking concerned.

“Just need to catch my breath.” she brushes him off.

“Any news on the others? Herrera? Gibson? Anything to report?” and something inside of Vic just erupts. How dare he ask her that?

“The hell do you care?” she yells.

“What was that?” he looks taken aback by her tone.

“I said, "What the hell do you care?" You were willing to leave us all in there. You did leave us. You evacuated the entire building with my whole team still inside.” she screams louder. “With  _ me _ still inside” she says that part quietly, feeling the tears in her eyes but she is not going to give him the satisfaction of crying.

“It's protocol.” he excuses and she hates it.

“You could have made a different choice. But you didn't. That's my report.” she is tired and sad and feels like she doesn’t matter one bit.

“There was no other choice to make. I don't get the same luxury as you -- not in my position. I can’t just risk other firefighters lives just because we are sleeping together.” he keeps his voice low so no one can hear him and she wants nothing more than to out them in this moment for hurting her like that with those words.

“You’re an asshole. We are done.” her voice almost cracks but she manages to get it out before turning around and walking away from him with her heart breaking into a million pieces.

She rides in the ambulance with Travis and he is still bleeding and they are working on him and things are not looking good and she can’t lose him. He is her person, her best friend and it looks like he may not make it and she is angry. Angry at Ben, angry at Lucas and angry at Travis because he is not fighting. He is giving up and she just can’t lose him. She just lost Lucas who was starting to mean something to her. She wishes this entire day was over already. She wants it all to be over.

They finally make it to the hospital. As they rush Travis inside, she spots Ben and he tries to explain but she doesn’t want to hear it. She brushes past him, ramming his shoulder. She is tired to hear his excuses. She just wants to see that Travis is taken care off and that he survives this.

Dr. DeLuca tells her that he is in good hand and that she should go and wash the blood off of her face. She feels sick to her stomach as she realizes her best friends blood is all over her.

She is in the waiting room and listens as Ben tries to explain to Grant what had happened while Travis is in surgery. Ben tries to explain it again to her and tries to defend himself but she just can’t. Her entire family is in jeopardy and she doesn’t want to hear any of it.

“No, don't start with me, okay? Travis is in surgery. Who the hell even knows where Herrera or Bishop or Gibson even are. You have -- You have no idea how much these people -- how much Montgomery means to me. So don't with your excuses, not when it's my friends who might not make it out of this alive. Just don't.” she yells at him before walking away.

It’s another hour later as they sit and wait, there is nothing else they can do when Dr. DeLuca finally comes out to give them an update. Travis is still in critical condition. He doesn’t know whether he will make it or not. Vic goes back to her seat. She just can’t believe all this is happening.

She watches as Ben’s wife, Dr. Bailey, approaches a woman and as she listens to her talk, she realizes that the woman is Molly’s mother who just got the news that her daughter had died and Vic’s heart breaks. Ben tried to save the young woman instead of Travis and she died anyway and Travis may as well. She realizes how awful and unfair she had been to Ben and gets up to apologize but this time, it’s him that walks away from her. She follows him and insists on him telling her if he thinks that Travis will make it but he can’t give her an answer. Vic feels her heart hurt all over again because if Travis dies a part of her heart dies with him.

\----------

The moment he hears the explosion, all the memories that he had buried for so many years come back to surface and he feels like someone had knocked all the air out of his lungs.

_ Victoria _ , he thinks as he tries to radio her and Bishop but there is nothing. He wants to go in himself, go look for her, make sure she is okay but he can’t. That’s not his job and for the first time in a long time he hates his job because it keeps him from going after someone who has become very important to him in such a short amount of time. He wants to send in help but he can’t. It’s against protocol. It’s not safe for anyone to go back in. He can’t have anyone go in and risk their life just so he gets to keep her. How would he ever look that firefighters family in the eyes. So, Lucas Ripley does his job and tries to not think of anything or anyone else. There is too much at stake for him to lose focus.

When he finally sees her emerge from the building, he feels like he can breath again. She is okay but Travis isn’t. Victoria and Dean are carrying him and it doesn’t look good. He knows how much Travis mean to her. He gives instructions right away as he watches her walk away and he moves closer to her. He needs to make sure she is okay. As okay as she can be with her best friend bleeding out right there in front of them.

“Hey. You should get checked out, too. You need hydration. Probably some O2.” he tells her but her face is blank.

“Just need to catch my breath.” she brushes him off.

“Any news on the others? Herrera? Gibson? Anything to report?” he asks. Needs to know if they are okay. They are her family after all.

“The hell do you care?” she yells and he is surprised. He didn’t expect that reaction.

“What was that?” he is taken aback by her tone.

“I said, "What the hell do you care?" You were willing to leave us all in there. You did leave us. You evacuated the entire building with my whole team still inside.” she screams louder. “With  _ me _ still inside” she says that part quietly and those words shatter his heart into a million little pieces. He can tell that she is trying not to cry in front of him.

“It's protocol.” there is nothing else he can tell her.

“You could have made a different choice. But you didn't. That's my report.” she keeps yelling at him and he needs her to understand that it’s not that easy for him.

“There was no other choice to make. I don't get the same luxury as you -- not in my position. I can’t just risk other firefighters lives just because we are sleeping together.” he regrets those words the moment they leave his mouth. The look on her face will probably haunt him for the rest of his life. There is so much hurt in her eyes and he wants to just wrap her up in his arms and make the pain go away. The pain that he caused himself and he feels like an asshole.

“You’re an asshole. We are done.” her voice almost cracks but she manages to get it out before turning around and walking away from him and he has no one to blame but himself for being an idiot. He just doesn’t know whether he is an idiot for what he said or for developing feelings for his subordinate in the first place. He watches her as she jumps into the aid car and then she is gone and this is not how today was supposed to go.

Lucas doesn’t know how long it takes them to get the fire under control and everyone out but it’s late when they are finally done and he needs to see her. He can’t let this be the end of them. They had just established that they are dating and now it’s all over? He needs to apologize to her.

He drives to the hospital and finds out about Travis condition and that she had already left because there was nothing left for her to do. 

He races to her apartment but when he knocks on her door there is no one there or maybe she knows that it’s him and doesn’t want to see him. He would understand it. He just leans against her door until he starts sliding down and is sitting on the floor. He takes his head in his hands and can’t stop the tears as he cries over this awful day. He needs to tell her how sorry he is and how awful it was to hear the explosion on not know if she was okay. That’s the last thought on his mind before he drifts off and falls asleep on the floor in front of her apartment.


	8. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, this could be considered sexual harassment.” he teases and she chuckles.
> 
> “Oh really? You gonna report me?” she jokes and he laughs, a real laugh that makes her heart skip a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I thought. I hope you all enjoy it.

Vic stays at the hospital for a while until Ben tells her to leave because there is nothing she can do for Travis. Much to his and her own surprise, she listens to him and leaves but doesn’t go straight home, instead she walks around to think and clear her head. She realizes that she doesn’t even know the fate of the rest of her team. She tries to call them but there is no answer. Everything was falling apart. She woke up happy at the beginning of her shift and now all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. 

She finally goes home because she doesn’t want to cry in public. When she arrives at her apartment, she is surprised to find Lucas there. He is asleep on the floor against her apartment door. She can’t believe that he is here. She crouches down beside him and brushes away a blonde lock from his forehead, keeps her hand on his face, caressing his cheek. Her -  _ is he though? _ \- usually stoic Chief appears so small and vulnerable in this moment. 

“Victoria?” she hears him say but his eyes remain closed.

“Luke, wake up!” she tells him but he doesn’t. His expression changes and he no longer appears peaceful but distressed. Vic realizes that he must be having a nightmare.

“Please, don’t go, Victoria!” he half-yells and her heart hurts. She never meant to leave him but his words crushed her.

“Lucas, please wake up. You are dreaming.” she tries to wake him up again and this time he does. He slowly opens his eyes and blinks a few times. He looks slightly disoriented.

“Where am I?” he asks.

“We are in front of my apartment. What are you doing here?” she asks harsher than intended. She doesn’t want to show weakness in front of him.

“I needed to see you.” he says as he gets off the floor.

“Why? I think you made it perfectly clear what this means to you. You should probably leave. I have enough to deal with. I don’t even know if half my team is still alive.” she does her best not to cry in front of him.

“They are! Bishop, Herrera and Gibson all made it out and are fine.” Vic sighs in relief. “I know that’s not the case for Montgomery.”

“Don’t!” she warns him. “Don’t you dare say his name. You have no idea what he means to me. He is my best friend. He is my family and he, I - I don’t even know if he’s gonna make it.” 

He moves a step forward but she takes a step back.

“Don’t! You don’t really want to be here. You don’t care. I’m just someone you are sleeping with. You made that perfectly clear. You don’t get to be there for me.” she can’t help the tears as she yells and feels her knees buckle but before she can hit the ground he already has his arms wrapped around her and is pulling her into a hug. She lets him. He holds her, lets her cry into his chest. They stand there for a while before he takes her keys out of her hand and unlocks her door and leads them both inside.

He locks the door and helps her out of her shoes and jacket, takes off his own as well and leads her into the bedroom where he sits her down on her bed. She is no longer crying instead she is just staring into space. 

“Victoria, uhm, there is dried blood on your face and your hands. Maybe you should go and wash up.” he tells her but she doesn’t seem to register it. “Victoria, please. You are scaring me. Say something! Anything!” he demands but nothing.

He leaves her alone for a moment and walks into her bathroom to grab a wet cloth and then walks back into her bedroom. She is still sitting on her bed, hasn’t moved at all. Lucas is starting to get really worried.

He cleans her face and hands and throws the cloth back into her bathroom. He carefully removes her uniform and grabs one of her pjs to put it on her before putting her to bed. He is about to walk away when she finally reacts and grabs his hand.

“Don’t leave!” she tells him and she sounds so broken and small.

“I won’t. I’m gonna be in the living room on the couch.” he watches her as she shakes her head.

“Stay with me, please.” she begs and he sighs and nods.

“Let me just clean up and I will be right back.” she lets go of his hand and he quickly goes back into the bathroom to wash his face and then walks back into her room, strips down to his boxers and slides into bed with her. 

And even though they had a fight and she is kinda numb, her body still reacts to his as she wraps herself around him like she usually does. Lucas just holds her and whispers soothing words into her ear. When he finally hears her soft snores, he lets sleep take over him.

\----------

Vic wakes up early in the morning and realizes that she is alone in her bed. She remembers falling asleep with Lucas in it but he is gone now and she figured that he would be gone in the morning. She was just a plaything for him after all.

She stands up and quickly goes to use the bathroom before walking into her living room.

To her surprise, she finds Lucas asleep on her couch with the TV running. She quickly grabs the remote control and turns it off before sitting down on the sofa next to Lucas. He wakes up immediately and sits up, slightly alarmed.

“It’s just me. What are you doing on the sofa?” she wonders.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and just couldn’t fall back asleep. Hoped that watching TV would help make me sleepy. Guess it worked.” Vic nods at him.

“Look, about last night. What I said to you was wrong because that’s not what this is. We are not just sleeping together. We are in a relationship and I’m sorry for what I said. I was just lashing out because you accused me of not caring and I really do care about you and your team. All I wanted to do when I heard the explosion was to run into the building myself and get you out.” Vic gives him a weak smile.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you. That was wrong of me but your words really hurt me.”

“I know and I’m truly sorry.” he says while taking her hands in his. “I hope you can forgive me... someday.” he hangs his head in shame.

Vic puts her hand underneath his chin to lift his head so he can look at her.

“I was angry when I said that we are done. I didn’t really mean it. I was hurt and wanted to hurt you, too and I’m sorry, too.” He smiles at her before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips and hugging her. 

“So, you don’t want us to be over?” he asks hopeful and Vic gives him another small smile.

“No, I want to be with you.” he kisses her again and then wraps his arms around her and lays back down on the couch with her in his arms. He pulls the blanket over their bodies and they just lie there, her body wedged between his and the couch, seeking comfort in each other’s arms.

Her hand is on his cheek as she softly caresses it and looks into his blue eyes that don’t have that sparkle they usually do.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing. Everything is okay.” he tells her but she doesn’t believe him.

“Come on, Luke. I know you by now. What is it?”

He sighs, “Last night brought back memories that I buried a long time ago.” Vic looks at him and he looks so pained and sad. She thinks for a moment and realizes what memory it is.

“9/11? You were there?” she asks softly and he nods.

“I was a rookie and I had never seen anything like it before. It was terrifying and I don’t want to really talk about it. I don’t want to reopen old wounds. Last night was nowhere near as awful as 9/11 but the fact that I had someone inside that I care deeply for made it worse in some way. You could have died. That explosion could have killed you.” he sobs.

“But I didn’t. I’m okay, Luke. I’m here.” she assures him.

“But Travis is not. He might die and if I had made a different choice he might not be in the condition that he is now and...” 

“No, you don’t get to blame yourself for this. I’m sorry for making you think that you are to blame. Last night is not on you. You did everything you could. Travis made a choice and Warren made a choice.”

“So did I. I chose not to send anyone in.”

“Because it wasn’t safe and I should have realized that before yelling at you. I didn’t understand what it’s like making the calls that you have to make and sometimes you have to sacrifice someone to keep others safe.” no matter how much she understands his decision it still hurts to realize that.

“I almost sacrificed you and your team. I’m so sorry.” he says remorseful and Vic doesn’t know what else to say to him, so she just leans in and kisses him. She pours all the feelings she has for him into the kiss and after a moment he kisses her back. The kiss doesn’t last long but it does the trick. Lucas finally stops apologizing and just pulls her closer to him. Vic snuggled into his chest and they both fall asleep.

When she wakes up again a few hours later, she is back in her bed, still in Lucas’ arms. He must have carried her back at some point. His face is relaxed and she can’t help but trace the lines on his face with her finger. She thinks that there are new ones since the morning before the skyscraper. The whole incident must have taken a lot out of him and she wishes she could do something to make it better, to help him heal.

“You know, this could be considered sexual harassment.” he teases and she chuckles.

“Oh really? You gonna report me?” she jokes and he laughs, a real laugh that makes her heart skip a beat.

“I know much better things to do but I don’t think we have time. I have to go to work. There is a lot of paperwork waiting for me and you need to go to the hospital and be there for Travis.” he tells her and Vic freezes and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t know if I can go and see Travis like that.”

“You can. He needs you to be there for him right now.”

“How can I be there for him when I am angry at him?” she sits up and leans against the wall.

“What do you mean, you are angry at him?”

“Exactly that. Travis gave up. He didn’t care whether he lived or died. He talked Warren into letting him bleed out so he could save Molly and then Molly died anyway. I’m just -- I’m probably the last person that should go and visit Travis.” she explains.

Lucas pulls her into his arms.

“Go to him. He is still not out of the woods and if something should happen to him you will never forgive yourself for not being there. It would haunt you for the rest of your life.” she looks at him and she can tell that there is a story behind his words but she is not going to probe. He will tell her eventually.

“Okay, I’ll go.” she looks at Lucas, he gives her a small smile. “I’m scared of seeing him like that.” she continues.

“I know. Everything will be okay. I know you think that he gave up but the Montgomery I know is a fighter.” she nods before quickly kissing him.

His phone chimes and he pulls away and apologizes before picking up. He leaves her bedroom to take the call in her living room while she gets up to grab some clothes to get a shower.

She hops into her shower, hears the door open a moment later. Lucas wraps his arms around her, just holding her. Doesn’t touch any of her sensitive parts. This is the most intimate they have ever been without actually being intimate. It’s about two people giving each other comfort and strength. They stay like that for a few minutes before they finish up.

They dress quickly. A week or so ago, Lucas had asked if she minded him leaving a few things like his uniform and some clothes at her place since he spent so much time there anyway and she had figured it was the smart thing to do and had agreed.

They quickly grab some coffee and breakfast and then they are out the door. Lucas drops her off at the hospital. She watches as he leaves and then proceeds to go into the hospital but changes her mind at the last minute and instead goes for a walk. She just can’t see Travis. It’s too soon. She needs some time. She will visit him eventually but right now, she just can’t.


	9. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You are thanking me? It’s not every day that I come home to listening to my girlfriend pleasure herself while thinking of me.” he says and she feels her cheeks burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Vic is still on her period. So skip this if you don't feel comfortable. Though it's really not graphic.

Lucas is on his lunch break. His day has been grueling and all he wants to do is go home to Victoria. He realizes that he just thought of her place as home but she is there and she feels like home to him. It should probably be weird to him because they have only been together for about a month but last night changed so much between them. He picks up his phone and dials her number. She picks up on the first ring.

“Hey, I was just thinking about you.” she greets and it brightens up his day instantly.

“Really? I hope only good thoughts.”

“Always.” she tells him. “Can I please have almond milk? Thank you!” he hears her say.

“Where are you?” he wonders.

“Oh, there is this small coffeehouse two blocks from headquarters. It’s kinda hidden and they don’t have that many customers here. Maybe you could join me?” she suggests and he really wants to. He looks at his watch and realizes that he still has plenty of time.

“I’ll be there in five.” he says as she tells him that she will be waiting. He grabs his jacket and heads for the door, tells his assistant that he will be back in time and then he is on his way to meet his girlfriend for lunch. 

He almost misses the place. It’s hidden as Victoria had told him and it’s rather empty. It’s small and nice and cozy. He can see why she likes it. He finds her sitting in the corner in a loveseat, sipping her coffee and eating a muffin. There is another coffee on the table and a sandwich that looks quite delicious.

He sits down beside her and leans in to give her a kiss. He lingers and she takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss only pulling away when air become necessity. 

“I could get used to this.” he admits and she smiles and gives him one more kiss before leaning back into the seat, eating her muffin.

“Me too. I hope you don’t mind that I ordered for you. I figured you’d be hungry.”

“Thank you.” he says as he starts eating. “This is really good. I didn’t know this place existed.” 

“I like coming here. They have amazing coffee and it’s so nice and cozy here.” he just nods in agreement as he devours his sandwich. It’s just that good.

“So, how is Travis doing?” he asks after he is done and her eyes go wide. He wonders if she is going to lie to him or tell him the truth. He knows that she didn’t go in. He parked across the hospital after he dropped her off and watched her. He wasn’t surprised when he saw her not go in. He knew that would happen.

“Honestly, I -- I didn’t go in. I just couldn’t. Does that make me a horrible best friend?” and he is glad that she didn’t lie to him.

“No, it only makes you human but I really think you should go and see him. He needs you there. Talk to him even if he is still unresponsive. It will help him to wake up, hearing your voice, feeling your touch. He will know that you are there.” he watches her as she listens closely.

“You are right. I need to put aside my anger and go see him. I can still tear into him when he is awake and well.” 

“Now that’s the spirit.” he chuckles as he moves closer to wrap his arms around her. He pulls her onto his lap and just hold her while she plays with his hair.

“Um, since you were honest with me, I should probably tell you that I knew that you didn’t go in. I parked across the street after dropping you off and watched you.” he confesses and she pulls away so she can look at him.

“You know me better than I thought.” she just tells him and he nods.

“Also, I should tell you that you are getting an interim Captain for the next few weeks.”

“Oh really, do you know who it is?” she asks curiously and he smirks at her and lifts an eyebrow and her eyes go wide as she puts it together. “Oh my god, it’s you! You are going to be our interim Captain?” he nods and smiles.

“Considering we are dating I shouldn’t be but there is no one else that can do it, so I’ll start tomorrow. We need a few ground rules though if we don’t want anyone else to find out about us.” he watches as she pouts.

“I take it no sex at the station?” he nods and she pouts some more and he can’t help but chuckle. 

“No touching of any kind and we need to avoid being alone in a room together.” he tells her and she smirks.

“Because you can’t keep your hands to yourself otherwise?” she teases and he nods as one of his hands moves up her thigh. 

“You make it very hard.” his voice is hoarse.

“Oh, you have no idea just how hard.” she says in a raspy voice and wiggles in his lap making him groan. Suddenly the alarm on his phone goes off.

“Fuck! I have to go back, babe.” she frowns and reluctantly gets up from his lap and plops back down onto the loveseat. He grabs her face and kisses her quickly before pulling away.

“See you at home.” he says without thinking and she beams at him.

“See you at home.” she agrees and then he is leaving.

Vic watches him as he leaves and she can’t help the giddy feeling she just got when he called her apartment “home”. She quickly finishes up her coffee and leaves as well. She promised him to go to the hospital and visit Travis, so that’s what she is going to do now.

She arrives at the hospital a few minutes later and asks a nurse to point her to Travis’ room. He is alone when she walks in and her breath hitches. He looks so pale and there are tubes and wires everywhere and she realizes that she just can’t do this. She can’t see him like that. She turns around and bumps into someone. The someone holds onto her so she doesn’t fall.

“Dr. DeLuca!” she says as he lets go of her.

“Hughes, right?” she nods. “Good to see you here visiting your friends. We expect him to make a full recovery.” he tells her and Vic feels like she can breath again.

“Really? He is gonna be okay?” Dr. DeLuca nods.

Vic turns back around and looks at Travis and moves closer. She sits down in the chair next to him and takes his hand in hers, kissing it.

“I’ll leave you alone with him.” she hears the doctor say but doesn’t pay him any attention otherwise.

“I’m so glad you are going to be okay but man will I whoop your ass when you come back to work. You scared me so much. I thought I had lost you. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

And so Vic sits with Travis for several hours just talking to him about everything that had happened since she dragged him out of the skyscraper. She hopes that he can hear her, hopes that he knows that he means the world to her. She tells him so just to make sure.

She decides to walk back home. The weather is nice and she knows that Lucas is still not done working. She texts him, asking what he is in the mood for to eat, rolls her eyes when he replies “You”. She is still on her period and while sex is fine, she is definitely not going to let him go down on her. A minute later, she gets another text, telling her that he is in the mood for burgers and beer, tells her he will pick some up on his way from work.

She is kinda glad that she doesn’t have to cook anything. She is really not in the mood. As she arrives at her place, she changes into something comfortable and sits down on her couch. She grabs her journal and starts writing. Writing down her thoughts has always been liberating for her and has always cleared her mind. When she is done journaling everything, she realizes that she still has plenty of time before Lucas gets off work. She flips through the channels but there is nothing showing, so she turns off the TV. She tries to distract herself in another way, turns on the music, grabs a glass of wine and sits back down on her sofa. She lets her hands wander over her body imaging they are his. She avoids her breasts since they are still tender. Her hand moves lower down her stomach until her hand is between her legs. She starts rubbing herself over her shorts and underwear, she presses down a bit harder and moans Lucas’ names as if he is there. She wishes he was, knows he will be soon, thinks that she will just skip dinner and drag him straight into her shower, so he can make her feel good like he always does. She can feel herself getting close. The friction against her clit is delicious and then she is coming and she feels it all the way down to her toes.

A knock at her door brings her back to reality and she slowly stands up, feels a bit wobbly as she walks over to her door and opens it. She finds her boyfriend standing there looking at her with that look in his eyes. The one he gets when he is aroused.

“I’ve been knocking for minutes. What were you doing?” he asks smirking and she knows that he knows exactly what she was doing, probably even heard her. Her walls are very thin.

She grabs him by his tie and drags him into her apartment. He drops the bag with the food onto the little table next to her door and kicks the door shut before picking her up and walking her into her bedroom, kissing her lips the entire way there while she is removing his clothes.

He is about to drop her onto the bed when she tells him “In the shower.” 

He looks confused until it clicks and he remembers. He walks them into her bathroom and puts her down to remove her clothes and then the rest of his. She lets him go into the shower first while she removes the cup before joining him. 

He starts kissing her lips then down her neck while he picks her up again and presses her against the cold tiles. She hisses because of the cold and he quickly apologizes.

“I’m fine. I just need you, Luke. Please!” she pleads and then he is finally pressing into her, slowly until he is all the way inside of her. Her inner walls contract and he moans into her ear as he sets a slow pace just enjoying the feel of her. It works for her as well, slowly building. He presses her into the wall as he starts thrusting a bit harder and faster while she is digging her fingernails into his back which spurs him on as he just pounds into her, hard. It doesn’t take long for either of them. They come together a few thrusts later. They remain connected a while longer. She loves the feeling of having him still inside of her after she had come. A moment later he pulls out and they finish up showering. They get dressed and then make themselves comfortable on her couch with the burgers that have gone cold but neither one cares. They are both happy and satisfied. Cold food is not a problem at all.

“I really needed that. Thank you!” she tells him and he laughs.

“You are thanking me? It’s not every day that I come home to listening to my girlfriend pleasure herself while thinking of me.” he says and she feels her cheeks burn.

“I can’t believe you heard me.”

“You have no idea how hot that was.” he says while nibbling her neck.

“Well, maybe I will let you watch next time.” she teases him and he groans.

“Yes please.” she laughs at how excited he is.

They eat while talking about their day. She tells him that Travis will be okay and he is glad, tells her that he had always liked Travis and that he is proud of her that she went to see him.

When they are done they clean up and watch some TV but not for too long as they are both exhausted. He carries her to bed and they fall asleep in each others arms instantly.


	10. Keeping It Professional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas try to keep it professional while he is her interim Captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got longer than I thought. I hope you all enjoy!

Vic and Lucas manage to stay professional at work. When he assigns her to aid car duty, he usually rides in the truck. When he sits in the aid car then he lets her be on truck and it works. She keeps herself busy with chores when there are no calls and he usually stays in his office doing paperwork. They manage not to be alone ever and they manage not to touch, for the most part because somehow it’s always her that ends up sitting next to him during breakfast, lunch or dinner because everyone else doesn’t want to sit next to the big boss. So whenever they are eating his leg would brush against hers or his fingers would accidentally graze her thigh and she knows that it’s anything but accidental. He craves her just as much as she craves him.

That’s why she is not surprised that after their first 24 hours shift where they were together but not able to touch, they walk through her door and he is on her instantly, kissing her and ripping the clothes off her body. They end up having sex on the floor right in front of her door because they are both too horny and impatient to make it to her bedroom. And it happens the next day and the next and it’s a weeks later and they are still managing to behave at work, barely, but as soon as they come home they can’t keep their hands off each other. The sex is mind-blowing, has always been but ever since he started as their Captain it has gotten even better. 

It’s two weeks into him being interim Captain and they are lying in bed together at her place after a couple of rounds of amazing sex and Vic is on her stomach while Lucas is pampering her body with light kisses and caresses. 

“I think I’m addicted to your body.” he tells her in between kisses.

“You think?” she chuckles.

“You drive me crazy. You know how hard it is to be so close to you at work but not be able to touch you or kiss you or be inside of you.” she shivers at his words because she knows exactly how hard it is.

He kisses up her spine while his hands knead her ass. His fingers find their way between her legs where she is warm and wet for him and she moans when two fingers enter her and then a third one, slowly pumping in and out of her. She angles her hips a little bit to give him better access and widens her legs so he has more room to work. He starts picking up the pace and fucks her faster with his fingers, can’t wait to be inside of her again.

“Fuck, Luke. I need more.” she moans.

“Tell me what you need.” he can feel her walls squeezing his fingers and he knows that she is close.

“I need you inside of me.” she sighs as he keeps fucking her with his fingers.

“I am inside of you.” he teases and she groans in frustration.

“Damnit Lucas, I need your cock inside of me.” she almost yells and he chuckles as he removes his fingers from within her and positions himself behind her.

“Close your legs.” he orders and she does and then he is slowly sliding into her until he bottoms out and her inner muscles grip him tightly, making him groan.

“I love it when you take me like that.” she purrs and he smiles as he grabs her hips and starts pounding into her, giving her all of him over and over again, hitting that spot inside of her that makes her see stars and she is moaning and screaming and asking him to go faster and deeper and he watches as one of her hands disappears between her legs and the moment her fingers touch the bundle of nerves there he feels her inner walls contract around him and he groans because she is already so tight in this position and now she feels like a dream. He knows that he won’t last much longer, so he rams into her a little bit harder and just goes wild but she has no problem taking it. She encourages him to go faster and give it to her and then she is finally coming around him and he keeps thrusting a few more times before he finally empties himself inside of her. He falls on top of her, still buried deep within her.

“Can we just stay like that for a bit?” she asks breathlessly.

“Am I not too heavy?” she shakes her head, so he remains on top of her for a little while longer before finally pulling out and plopping down beside her, taking her into his arms.

“That was incredible.” she says and he nods. She starts kissing his chest and biting his nipple before soothing it with her tongue making him moan.

“We should get some sleep.” he tells her and she stops what she is doing and looks up at him with her eyebrows raised.

“As much as I would love to have you again we have to get up in six hours for another 24 hour shift.”

“We spend all day in bed. Don’t you feel relaxed?” 

“Yeah but we did other things and barely slept except for a nap here and there.” she pouts at him and he can’t help but laugh.

“Okay. Okay. Let’s get some sleep.” she drops her head onto his chest while he brings his arm around her waist and holds her close to him and then they drift off to sleep.

\----------

Vic and Andy are on aid car duty and have set up triage while the others are trying to get the victims out of the damaged cars. The scene looks bad. Half a dozen cars were involved in an accident with a dozen or more victims. Vic is treating a man about her age, one of his legs is clearly broken and he has a deep cut on his forehead that is bleeding. She is trying to get the bleeding under control when suddenly he starts having an epileptic seizure and the next thing she knows his fist connects with her jaw and lip and she goes down.

“Hughes, are you okay?” she hears Andy scream as she slowly gets up from the ground. 

“I’m fine.” she tells Andy and looks to where Lucas is standing and she sees him looking at her with worry in his eyes. She mouths an “I’m fine” and he nods and goes back to work while she watches her patient.

She can already feel a bruise forming on her jaw and tastes the blood on her split lip. She knows that it won’t look pretty. She turns her attention back to her patient and the seizure lasts about two minutes before Vic can go back to helping him. She manages to get the bleeding under control without anymore seizures.

It takes them about two hour to get all the victims out and to the hospital but no one dies on them, so they call it a success.

Back at the station, Vic is sitting in the Beanery and Andy is taking care of her split lip when Lucas walks in.

He has that look in his eyes and she knows that he is worried.

“How’s the lip and jaw, Hughes?” he tries to sound casual about it, like a boss worried about one of his employees.

“Not as bad as it looks. You should see the other guy.” she jokes but he doesn’t laugh.

“There all good. She’ll live, Chief.” Andy tells him and he nods.

“Thanks Herrera. Good job today. Both of you.” he tells them and Andy smiles at him and leaves.

“I’m fine, I promise. You don’t need to check up on me. Remember, you are my boss and I’m your employee.” she tells him and heads for the shower.

The team has dinner together but Vic decides to skip it and goes to bed instead. When she wakes up a couple of hours later, she finds a text from Lucas asking her to come to his office because he just needs to see her. The text is from two hours ago but she still gets up and looks around to find everyone asleep. Then she grabs a sweater and heads for the Beanery first. She is hungry and needs some food. She warms up the leftovers from dinner and sits down to eat when she hears footsteps behind her. She turns around to find Lucas there in a wife beater and sweatpants and she can’t help but appreciate the view.

“Are you upset with me?” he asks suddenly and she is taken aback by his question.

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Because you skipped dinner and then didn’t reply to my text.” he says as he sits down next to her.

“I just woke up and saw the text. I was really tired. I’m sorry.” 

“And you wanted to go for another round last night.” he chuckles and she hits him in the shoulder playfully.

“Be glad I didn’t punch you in the jaw or we would be matching.” she laughs.

“How is your jaw?” he wants to know.

“It hurts a little bit but it’s fine, really.” she assures him and finishes her with her food.

He takes the dirty plate from her and rinses it and then sits back down again.

“Can we go back to bed?” he asks and she raises an eyebrow at him.

“You mean together?” and he nods. “What about our rules?”

“This is an exception. I really just want to hold you tonight.”  he tells her and she smiles as she takes his hand in her and they walk downstairs to his office. 

He locks the door behind them and sets the timer so she can get up in time to sneak out again and then he pulls her into his arms and they fall asleep.

Lucas wakes up with Vic in his arms and for a moment he thinks they are at home but then he realizes that they are at work in the Captain’s office. He watches her as she stretches and her shirt rides up exposing the smooth skin of her stomach and Lucas can’t help but touch her. He feels her wake up beside him and she moans as he starts kissing her belly. Her fingers find their way into his hair while he kisses up her chest and takes one nipple into his mouth

“We already broke two of our rules, please tell me we are about to break another one.” she purrs and he chuckles as he lets go of her nipple and then looks up and just stares at her. Vic takes the chance to wrap her legs around his waist and flip them so he is beneath her. She makes quick work of his boxers while he helps her with her shorts and panties and then she is sinking down on him slowly, letting him stretch and fill her until she has taken him to the hilt. They both moan as she starts riding him. She just loves the feel of him so deep inside of her.

“Babe, you look so good like that. I love when you ride me.” he groans as she picks up the pace and starts riding him faster. He thrusts up into her, making her scream.

“Fuck, Victoria. You have to be quiet.” he warns her and she quickly apologizes. 

He moves one of his hands between her legs to rub the bundle of nerves there and it earns him another loud moan, thankfully not as loud as the scream before, and her inner muscles contracting around him. 

“Yes, Luke. Just like that.” she tells him as she rides him a bit harder and he presses down on her clit, hard. She comes instantly and takes him with her a moment later. 

She remains on top of him for a little bit longer before she finally gets off of him, both missing the feel of each other. Then she quickly grabs her clothes and puts them on before giving him one more kiss and then she is out the door, heading upstairs to take a shower and start the day.

And so they continue sneaking around at work at night when everyone is asleep. They don’t always have sex. Sometimes they just hold each other.

Two months into their relationship, she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds him wide awake, just staring at her.

“That’s kinda creepy.” she teases him and he chuckles.

“I was thinking...” he starts and she laughs.

“Don’t hurt yourself.” she teases again and he glares at her.

“Very funny. As I was saying, I was thinking about how we spend all our time at your place and I thought that maybe we could spend some time at my place instead.” he suggests and she sits up and just stares at him.

“I think I would like that. I would love to see what your home looks like.” she admits and he smiles.

“Great. We can go to your place to grab a few of your things and then go straight to mine.” 

“That sounds like a plan.” she tells him and gives him a kiss before snuggling back into his arms. She couldn’t wait to see his home. 

A few hours later, she sneaks out again without anyone noticing, at least that’s what she thinks.

\----------

It’s been four weeks since Chief Ripley had joined them as interim Captain and Maya had no problem with him at all. He was fair, he respected her and her other female colleagues and if she was honest with herself, he was also nice to look at. She respects him. She knows about his reputation to put strong women in charge and Maya appreciates that about him. 

She knows what she is about to do will be hard but she can’t just let him get away with it. She knocks on his door. He tells her to come in, motions for her to sit down and she does.

“What can I do for you, Bishop?” he asks.

“I just wanted to say that I have always admired and respected you, sir. So this is incredibly hard for me to say. I can’t believe that you of all people would take advantage of your position like that and of Hughes crush on you. Did you force yourself on her? Is that why she looked so upset when she snuck out of your office in the middle of the night?” she accuses him and she can see the surprise and shock on his face.

She watches him as he stands up and walks to the door. She thinks he is about to throw her out but instead he opens it and yells for Vic.

“Hughes, in my office. NOW!”

Vic enters a moment later, giggling.

“Lucas, it’s the middle of the day. Why would...” her words get stuck in her throat when she sees Maya. “Maya? Hey! What are you doing here?” she asks nervously.

“Lucas?” Maya asks and watches the Chief close the door. “What the hell is going on here?”

Vic looks at the Ripley who nods at her and then back at her friend.

“Um, we are kinda, sorta dating.” she confesses and Maya’s jaw drops.

“What?” she gapes at them. “So this is consensual? He is not forcing you into anything?”

“Why would you think that?” Vic is shocked at her accusation.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I saw you sneak out of his office in the middle of the night half naked and you looked somewhat upset and there was a bruise on your thigh.” she explains and Vic and Ripley sigh.

He remains by the door while Vic moves closer to Maya and sits down beside her.

“You’d be upset too if you had to sneak out of your boyfriend’s office in the middle of the night on your two month anniversary. As for the bruise. Well,...” Vic blushes and Maya doesn’t need her to say more. She looks at the Chief who is blushing too and is looking anywhere but her way.

“Two months? You’ve been doing this,  _ him _ , for two months and you were able to keep it to yourself? Who are you? The Vic that I know can’t keep a secret to save her life.” Vic chuckles.

“I guess I can keep the really important things to myself.” she tells her and Maya nods.

“And you are sure this is all consensual?” Vic rolls her eyes.

“Yes, I am sure. He didn’t force me into anything. I was a willing, consenting participant in everything.” she assures her and Maya nods again. “Also, you can’t tell anyone about this. This,  _ us _ , is important to me and you have to keep it to yourself, please.” she pleads with her and Maya agrees before turning to Ripley.

“I am really sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have made assumptions.” she apologizes.

“It’s okay, Bishop. You were just looking out for your friend. I get it. Let’s just forget about this little incident and go back to work. Shall we?” both women nod at him.

“I’m sorry, Lucas.” she hears Vic and he smiles at her lovingly. Maya realizes that the Chief has got it bad for her friend. Who would have thought?!

“Hey, it takes two. I should have known better than to have you in my office at night.” Vic nods before standing up and quickly kissing him on the cheek.

“I’m sorry again, sir.” Maya apologizes one more time before her and Vic leave his office.

About an hour later, Lucas walks past the bunks and hears Vic and Bishop talking. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop but when he hears them talking about him, he just can’t help it.

“You know everyone will say that you slept your way up when you get promoted.” Bishop says.

“What makes you think I want to get promoted?” Vic asks.

“You don’t? Everyone wants to get promoted.” 

“Well, not me. I like being just a firefighter. It’s enough responsibility as it is. I don’t want or need more. Also, I see what a toll it takes on Luke when he comes home and it breaks my heart that he has to make decisions that could cost other people their lives.” Lucas is surprised to hear all that.

“Home? Are you two living together?” Bishop wonders.

“What? No, of course not. I meant my place.” 

“How did this thing with the two of you start anyway? I thought you yelled at him?” Bishop asks and Lucas has to keep himself from chuckling.

“I did and he liked it.” he hears both women laugh and he hopes that she won’t tell Bishop anything else because it’s one thing to know about them but telling her all the details wouldn’t be wise.

“So, you are really willing to potentially give up your career and reputation for him?” he hears Bishop ask.

“Like I said. I want to be a firefighter and don’t care about ranks and promotions. As for my reputation. The only people’s opinion I really care about are you guys. As long as you guys still have my back, I’m fine. And I know that you don’t like this and that is okay. I don’t need you to want to plan our wedding and call dibs on godmother, I already have Travis for that.” Vic admits.

“Of course Travis knows.”

“Well, he is my best friend but I didn’t tell him. He figured it out himself. It’s a long story. Anyway, I just hope that I have your support even if you don’t like the situation. Just know that he makes me happy and I like being with him.” Lucas smiles when he hears her say that.

“Okay. I can accept that. I guess I will just need some time to get used to this. It’s not every day that you find out that the big boss is sleeping with your friend.”

He hears Vic laugh and he can’t help but smile.

“You know, your boyfriend is actually really hot. I’m surprised that no one in this department has snatched him up sooner.” Bishop jokes.

“Well, I’m sure some have tried but no one could hold his interest until I came along.” and Lucas has to stop himself from laughing out loud because she is not wrong. 

He decides that he has heard enough, so he leaves the two friends alone and goes back down to his office to finish up some more paperwork before their shift ends and him and Vic can go to his place for the first time.


	11. Connecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas get to know each other a little bit better.

They arrive at his place after making a quick pit stop at the grocery store to grab food and other things. The moment they walk through his front door, Vic gasps.

“So why were we spending all our time at my crummy place when you have all this?” she wonders in awe. His place is huge.

“I like your place. It’s cozy and warm and home.” he tells her and she smiles at him.

“Yeah maybe so but this place is amazing. It will probably take us days to christen all the rooms.” she wiggles her eyebrows and he chuckles.

“You’re unbelievable.” he laughs and kisses her. “Go, take a look around while I put away the grocery and make us something to eat.” he pecks her lips again and then walks away.

So, Vic explores his house like he suggested. She understands how he could feel lonely in it. It’s huge for just one person. It would be perfect for a family, she thinks and her mind wanders for a moment to the future and them living there together with their own family but she quickly abandons those thoughts. It’s stupid to go there when they have only been together for two months. It’s too much too soon. They are in the spice phase and she wants to enjoy it for as long as she can.

There is a big living room with a fireplace and of course Vic’s mind goes to spice in front of it and there is a study which again will be the perfect place for spice. His kitchen could probably fit her entire apartment, she thinks. There is also a storage room and she is just amazed at how gorgeous everything is.

As she goes upstairs, she discovers a master bedroom with a gigantic bathroom. She looks at the enormous bathtub and she can’t help it as her mind drifts to even more sex with her hot boyfriend.

She finds two guest rooms and two more rooms that are empty. There is an attic that is used for storage from what she can tell, lots of boxes and old things.

She goes back downstairs and finds that there is also a basement, so she goes all the way down to find a gym, an indoor pool and a jacuzzi. 

She goes back upstairs, into the kitchen and plops down on one of the stools there.

“Okay, I’m so moving in here because this house is amazing. There is no way we will spend any more time at my place. I mean you have an indoor pool and a jacuzzi. We are so having sex in both of them by the way. And your bedroom is just wow and yeah why did we spend all our time at my place, again?” she goes a mile a minute and he laughs at how excited she is.

“I’m glad you like it. Mi casa es su casa.” he says and she smiles.

“What are you making?” she asks.

“Mac and Cheese with a twist.” he winks and she smiles.

“I can’t wait. Do you mind if I take a nap? I’m kinda tired.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wake you when I’m done.” Vic hops off the stool, walks over to Lucas, gives him a quick kiss on the lips and slaps his ass, making him chuckle and then she is going upstairs into the master bedroom and makes herself comfortable. She falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

\----------

“Babe, wake up!” she hears and feels him kissing her lips. She smiles as she opens her mouth for him. He deepens the kiss as her arms go around his neck and she pulls him on top of her. He goes willingly and settles between her legs.

“Babe, food is ready. We can do this later.” he groans but is not stopping instead his hands find her breasts and he squeezes them lightly. She moans into his mouth and she can feel him harden against her thigh.

“I want you, right now. Food can wait.” she purrs and he nods in agreement as he starts taking off her shirt and then her bra. His mouth latches onto one of her nipples while his fingers tweak the other one. He loves how responsive she is to him.

“This feels so good.” she moans when suddenly her stomach growls really loud and both of them start laughing.

“I guess food can’t wait.” he teases as he hands her the shirt he just took off. She quickly puts it back on and they go back downstairs.

They make themselves comfortable on his couch while eating.

“Okay, I gotta ask. Is there something you can’t do? I feel like you are too good to be true. I mean you are hot, amazing in bed, a great Chief...” he raises an eyebrow at that. “Hey, you are except for Station 23.” she teases and he shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “You can cook. Like am I gonna wake up tomorrow missing a kidney or something? Because there has to be something wrong with you.” she jokes and he laughs out loud.

“Thank you for the compliments but if you ask my ex-wives and siblings they will tell you that I ain’t that perfect after all.” Vic suddenly stops eating.

“Wait, ex-wives? As in more than just one?” 

“I have two. Is that a problem?” he wonders.

“Well, it depends on why it didn’t work out?”

“Jessica, my first wife, and I were young and stupid and thought that we were meant to be. We soon realized that we weren’t. We married right after high school and it lasted less than three years. Eva, my second wife, and I met through mutual friends. She loved that I was a firefighter. We got married six months after our first date and got divorced a year later because she hated the fact that I was a firefighter and was married to my job instead of her. She didn’t understand what it meant to me and then I caught her in bed with one of her colleagues.” he snorts. “That was almost fourteen years ago. After my second divorce, I realized that maybe I wasn’t meant to be with anyone and maybe I was just meant to do this job. So I concentrated on climbing the ladder and...”

“Now you are the big boss.” Vic finishes.

“... and now I’m the big boss.” he says. “What about you?”

“Well, I have never been married before.” she tells him.

“No, I meant the job. Where do you see yourself in two years?” she looks at him confused. “Okay, I have to make a confession. I overheard your conversation with Bishop this morning.” he confesses and she shakes her head.

“You eavesdropped?”

“Kinda, yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I heard my name and was curious. I didn’t expect the conversation to go where it did.”

“I’m sure you have questions. So go ahead and ask.”

“Do you really not care about getting promoted at some point?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Of course not. It’s just, you are an amazing firefighter, smart and quick on your feet. You care about people and have good instincts. You got passion and fire and you are not scared to speak your mind.” he winks at her and she chuckles.

“Thank you, Luke. But I kinda don’t see myself pushing pencils, inspecting uniforms and keeping people in line. I became a firefighter to fight fires and save people.” Lucas sighs.

“You sound like Sully.” 

“Who’s Sully?” Vic wonders.

“He used to be my friend. Actually, my best friend. A long time ago.”

“What happened to him? Did he die on the job?” 

“No, but he lost someone really important to him and I made the call and...” Lucas stops.

“He blamed you for that someone’s death, right?” Lucas nods.

“I haven’t talked about this with anyone in a long time.” he confesses.

“Do you miss him?”

“I do. Being the Chief can be lonely sometimes. People don’t really want to be friends with their boss.”

“Well, lucky for you I don’t mind being friends with my boss.” Vic tries to cheer him up and change the subject..

“Oh, is that so? And here I thought we were more than just friends.” he puts both their bowls aside and crawl over her body until he is lying on top of her. She opens her legs for him and he settles in between them as he starts exploring her mouth with his tongue. Her fingernails dig into his back as she grinds her hips against his and moans loudly.

“Do you wanna finish what we started earlier?” she asks and he is already removing her shirt like before. She didn’t bother to put her bra back on so he goes straight for her nipples again, licking and biting one and tweaking the other.

“I love how responsive you are. It makes me so hard.” he moans against her chest and Vic can feel herself get wetter. This man will be the death of her. She is certain of it.

They make quick work of each others clothes and soon they are lying naked on his couch and she can feel him hard against her entrance and then he is slowly sinking into her and she loves the feeling of being stretched to her limits. She doesn’t think that she will ever want to be with anyone else. Being with Lucas makes her feel so many things. Right now she feels desired, sexy and taken care off and soon she will feel very happy and satisfied.

He pulls almost all the way out before thrusting back in with force and it knocks the air out of her lungs and she wants to feel it again.

“Again. God, please, again.” she tells him and he does and she moans as he keeps it up for a few minutes and then he is just out of control and fucks into her hard and fast and Vic can feel herself getting closer and her inner walls are clenching and he groans when she is squeezing him tightly. He pounds into her, telling her how amazing she feels, how he could spend the rest of his life buried between her legs and she feels it all the way down to her toes when she finally comes with his name on her lips and he follows her a moment later.

They are sweaty and out of breath as he pulls out and takes her into his arms and they just bask in the afterglow.

“I love this. Just being here, with you, like this.” she tells him and he nods against her shoulder, rubbing his beard against her soft skin and kissing it.

“Me too.” he agrees and jawns and she chuckles.

“Sounds like your stamina is wearing off, Chief.” she teases him.

“Oh really? You want me to show you just how wrong you are?” he whispers into her ear and she can already feel him harden again between her buttcheeks. 

He lifts her thigh and then he is sinking into her tight, wet heat from behind and they moan in unison as he keeps up a fast pace and it doesn’t take them long as they both come again.

“Fuck! You are unbelievable.” she compliments him as he smiles against her shoulder.

“So are you.” he admits and then grabs the blanket and pulls it over their naked, sated bodies.

“Good night, Lucas.” she brings his hand to her lips and kisses it before it settles back on her stomach.

“Good night, Victoria.” he kisses her shoulder blade one more time and soon they are both sound asleep.

\----------

It’s another two weeks later. They are at his place again, have in fact spend most of their time there since it’s very unlikely that anyone will see them in his neighborhood and they get to actually go outside together.

They are sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when Lucas drops some unexpected news.

“I forgot to tell you that the other night was my last shift as your interim Captain.” she looks at him surprised.

“Wait, what? How could you forget to tell me?”

“Sorry, I was busy with the new Captain and I just forgot.” he apologizes.

“So, who is it?”

“Um, I can’t tell you.” she raises an eyebrow at him. He looks kinda nervous and Vic snorts as she realizes.

“It’s your old friend Sullivan?! Am I right?” his face goes pale.

“How did you?” 

“I kinda know you by now. I thought you two are not talking to each other? So, how come he agreed to come back?” she wonders. They had talked some more about his old friend over the last two weeks and it always sounded like Sullivan would never forgive Lucas and now he was coming back to work for him?

“I just told him what a great team 19 is and he said he needed a change, so.” he shrugs and Vic accepts it although she thinks there is more to it but she doesn’t want to bug him. He is obviously not ready to talk about it.

“Okay. Well we gotta go to work. So are you dropping me off?” he nods.

“I’ll drop you near your station and then go get Sullivan and introduce you guys to him.” Vic nods and then grabs her things as does he and then they are out the door.

\----------

Lucas is watching them from across the street, well he is watching her of course and he notices that everyone hugs Travis but Vic. He wonders why? Has she not been seeing him in the last six weeks? And then Lucas realizes that they had spend almost all their time together in those six weeks. There was no room for her and Travis and it puzzles him that she hadn’t said anything about it. Was she actually still ignoring him? He would find out after her shift but now he needs to concentrate on his job.

He watches as his old friend approaches him with Captain Herrera in tow.

“Rip.” he greets him. He sounds indifferent and Lucas thinks that maybe he has made a big mistake bringing him back to Seattle.

“Sully.” he tries to put some warmth into his tone but it comes out just as indifferent.

He watches Pruitt roll his eyes at them and then huff.

“I can’t believe you two used to be friends.” he says as he walks towards Station 19 and Lucas and Sullivan follow him.

Vic is looking at him as he approaches her and her team and he gives her a quick smile.

“I’d like to introduce you all to the new captain of Station 19, Captain Robert Sullivan.”

“Glad you’re here, of course. Why don’t we go around and I’ll introduce you --” Pruitt suggests.

“I’ll do names later.” Sully says as he steps closer to his new team. “I’m here because Chief Ripley saw a need at Station 19, an opportunity to shift a few things around and maybe give you guys a little...kick. I’m all about efficiency. I like to make every minute count. So let’s get started.” he tells them and Lucas can see Vic glare at him. He is so gonna get an earful from her at home, he knows it.

“But the shift hasn’t started yet. We usually begin the day getting breakfast upstairs toge--” Herrera starts but Sully interrupts her.

“I will assign your drills and chores. But first, let’s line up inside for uniform inspection. I won’t ask twice.” his former friend finishes and yeah Lucas will definitely get an earful from his girlfriend. That didn’t go quite as planned.

He sees Vic linger as everyone walks in until he is beside her.

“My team better never find out that I made you think of Sullivan and that’s what brought him here. They will kill me.” she tells him and he chuckles. “It’s not funny, Luke. I think Andy is already on his bad side.” she says and he nods.

“It will be fine. Just give him some time.” Lucas assures her as they walk into her station.

Oh, how he hopes that he is right about this.


	12. Fights & Phone Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Vic get into a huge fight.   
> Follows the events of 2.02.

Working with Sullivan is interesting. He is definitely not the guy that Lucas once knew. The tragedy that occured did change and harden him. He does remind her of Lucas in some ways but Sullivan seems more strict and there is no softness to him like with Lucas. He doesn’t crack a smile or try to make you feel at ease. 

Vic knows that life with him at the firestation won’t be easy especially since him and Andy are already butting heads.  _ That will end in a disaster _ , Vic thinks. And he obviously favors Maya over Andy which of course it causing problems for Andy and Maya and Vic just hates being in the middle of it especially since she knows so much more about their new Captain than the others.

She tries to not be too hard on him. She has not lost a spouse, so she can’t possibly imagine the pain he went through. Part of her thinks that fifteen years is a long enough time to grieve and move on but some people just can’t. She thinks that Sullivan might be one of those people.

It was a long and exhausting day. They managed to save a kid from drowning in a sewer and reunited him with his dad. It was a team effort even though Andy acted against Sullivan’s orders but in the end all was good. For the most part.

As she is packing up her gear, she is approached by Dr. DeLuca who helped out with the call.

“Wow. We really pulled that off. Is this every day for you?” he wonders.

“I mean, some days also involve fire.” Vic teases.

“Right. Fire. Hey, look, I know you told me to stick to the sidelines today, but, um, I did a think that might make you mad. See that tall guy over there from Station 23?”

“Ugh. 23 is where the slugs of the department go to get slower.” Vic makes a face. She is really not fond of 23.

“Yeah, well, this guy's not a slug. I, uh, got his number.” DeLuca tells her.

“Congrats.” Vic offers.

“For you. He was asking if you might be interested.” he hands Vic the piece of paper and then he is walking away before Vic can say anything.  “Let's go!”

“You can't just do that and then squid away, DeLukes.” she yells after him.

Vic turns around and sees the guy from 23 staring at her, so she quickly puts the piece of paper into her jacket, nods at him, finishes up and then leaves.

The rest of the day goes by fairly quick. She is excited to finally be done with work and just go to Lucas’ place and spend some quality time with her boyfriend. She doesn’t bother changing. She just wants to leave work as soon as possible.

She parks her car and grabs the grocery and then walks to his door and rings the bell. He opens up looking casual in a pair of jeans and the grey sweater that she loves so much.

He quickly takes the grocery from her and gives her a kiss on the lips and then they are walking into his house. Vic goes straight for the living room, drops her jacket onto the floor and falls onto the couch. She can hear Lucas chuckle behind her as he walks past her into the kitchen to put away the grocery.

“Anything you are in the mood for tonight?” he shouts from the kitchen.

Vic reluctantly gets up and joins him. She smiles when she sees him standing by the fridge.

“What if I’m in the mood for  _ you _ tonight.” she asks and he turns around and chuckles.

“I meant food, Vic. The other thing goes without saying.” he says as he closes the distance and kisses her, lets his tongue duel with hers for a while, arms around her waist, hands on her lower back. Vic is pressing herself against him wanting to feel his hard body against hers.

They kiss for a while before she pulls away and tells him to surprise her. He smiles and nods and goes back to the task at hand as he grabs pots and pans and ingredients from the fridge.

Vic just sits on one of the stools and watches him. He washes the veggies and hands them to her to chop which she does after quickly washing her hands.

“So, how was your second shift with Sully?” Lucas asks, looking at her which earns him a glare from Vic.

“It wasn’t enough when I chewed you out after my first shift with him?” she wonders and Lucas laughs.

“Come on, Vic. He can’t be that bad?”

“You’re right. He is worse than bad. Him and Andy are already in each others hair, pun intended. And I swear they are either going to kill each other or end up fucking.” she says and Lucas stops what he is doing.

“What? Why would you say that?”

“Just you know, sometimes two people fight but secretly they picture each other naked and want to get it on with the other. Kinda like us.” she shrugs her shoulders as Lucas furrows his eyebrows.

“I did not...” he stops mid-sentence as she gives him a look “...okay I did picture you naked and we did end up sleeping together right there in the conference room but I just, we are different. I could tell that Herrera rubbed Sully the wrong way that very first time but you and me, that’s a whole different story.”

“Why? Because I rubbed you the right way?” she teases and he blushes. “Anyway, there is tension between Andy and Maya because Sullivan prefers Maya and well, Andy just doesn’t like that and I feel like I’m in the middle of it all and I hate it.”

“I’m sorry, Vic. This is my fault.” he says.

“Don’t be, Luke. It’s fine. Well, not really but it will be. I mean somewhere deep down the guy that you once knew must still exist, right? So, maybe he just needs some time. Maybe you should try to reconnect with him. I mean I know what happened but maybe he needs the support of his best friend.”

Lucas smiles at her.

“Speaking of best friends and support. I couldn’t help but notice that you and Travis didn’t hug the other day. He hugged everyone else.”

“He didn’t hug Andy.” Vic tries to divert.

“Well, she ain’t his best friend. I didn’t realize it before but did you even see him after he was released from the hospital because I know that we basically spend every waking minute together. First at work and then at my or your place. Doesn’t seem like there was much time left there for Travis.”

“I saw him once when he was back home but that didn’t go so well, so I didn’t bother going back again. I just -- I just can’t forgive him just yet.” she explains.

“He almost died, Vic. What’s there to forgive? You really need to talk to him.”

“Well, you need to talk to Sullivan, so once you do that I will talk to Travis.” she thinks he won’t take the bait but he surprises her.

“Okay, fine. I will reach out to Sully but you have to promise to talk to Travis. I know he is coming back next shift so, there is your chance.” he tells her and she nods.

“Okay, okay. I will talk to him.” she says as she finishes chopping the veggies.

“I’m gonna go and take a shower before dinner.” she tells him as she makes her way upstairs to his bedroom.

Dinner is ready and served by the time she is done showering and changing into comfortable clothes. She finds Lucas standing in the living room, with a piece of paper in his hand and she can’t read his expression when he looks up and locks eyes with her.

“Why do you have Mayhorn’s number?” he asks and Vic is confused.

“Who is Mayhorn?”

“A firefighter from 23 and you have his number and I wanna know why?”

“Oh that. Wait, hold on. Did you go through my stuff?” she accuses him.

“Is that really all your gonna say about this?”

“Well, if I can’t trust you to not go through my things...”

“I didn’t go through your things. I picked up your jacket that you just dropped on the floor and the paper fell out. I picked it up and saw another guys number on it and I wanna know why you have someone else’s number in your pocket? Are you not happy anymore? Are you bored with me? You need someone younger?” he is mad and hurt and Vic can’t believe what he just said.

“Are you kidding me right now? Dr. DeLuca basically forced the number on me today and since that Mayhorn guy was watching me I didn’t want to be rude and throw it away in front of him, so I put it in my pocket and then walked away.”

“You could have told him that you are already taken.”

“Sure, why not just tell him that I don’t think my boyfriend the Chief of the Fire Department would like me taking another guys number.”

“You could have left out the part about your boyfriend being the Chief.”

“Why are we having this fight right now? I told you what happened. I never intended on calling the guy because I am with you.” she yells.

“You sure you still want to be with me? I mean there must be a reason you didn’t throw it out. He wasn’t watching you the entire time. You had plenty of time to get rid of it.”

“I forgot I had it because the guy is irrelevant. Are you really trying to pick a fight here? Maybe you are the one who is unhappy and bored with me and this is your way of ending this by blaming it on me?” she mirrors him as she puts her hands on her hips.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” he rolls his eyes.

“So now I’m not only a cheater but I’m also ridiculous?” she is furious.

“I didn’t say you are a cheater.” he counters.

“Well, you suggested that I wanted to cheat on you.” she shakes her head, then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I think it’s best if I just leave.” she tells him.

“What? Why?” 

“Really? Are you really asking me this right now?” she huffs as she throws her arms in the air.

“We need to talk about this.” he says calmly.

“No, because you already made up your mind and right now I don’t want to talk to you or see you or be in the same room with you. I need some time alone.” she says as she walks over to him, grabs her jacket and the piece of paper with the number on it and then she is out the door and in her car on her way home.

She can’t help the tears that are streaming down her face, This was not how the evening was supposed to go. She was supposed to have a nice evening with Lucas and then have mind-blowing sex and cuddles afterwards but instead they fought and she stormed out of his house and she is so mad at him. How could he think that she would want to replace him with someone else? She looks at the piece of paper with Mayhorn’s number and realizes that she doesn’t want to go home and be alone, so she grabs her phone and makes a call.

\----------

Lucas just stares after her. He has no idea what just happened. One moment they were joking around and happy and the next they are fighting and then she is storming out the door with Mayhorn’s number in her hand.

Lucas knows that he handled that whole situation poorly. He grabs his phone and tries calling her but she must be talking to someone else. The next thing he knows he is in his car and on his way to her. He doesn’t want to lose her over this stupid fight. She is way too important to him and he needs to make this right.

When he arrives at her place, he quickly climbs the stairs, two at a time, and knocks on her door but no one is there.

He hears the door behind him open and turns around to find Vic’s neighbor there.

“Oh hey, Mrs. Jones. Do you know if Vic’s home?” he asks desperately.

“Sorry dear but I haven’t seen Victoria in a couple of days. I thought she is with you.” she tells him and he hangs his head. 

“We got into a fight and then she just left and now I can’t find her.” he confesses.

“Oh, honey. I used to get into fights with Mr. Jones all the time but we always made up. Give her some time. Whatever it is, you two will fix it. You are such a lovely couple. It would be a shame.” she offers and Lucas smiles at her.

“Thank you, Mrs. Jones. Have a good night.” he tells her and she nods and goes back inside.

Lucas tries calling her again but she must have turned her phone off because it goes straight to voicemail.

“Vic, please call me back. I’m sorry for what I said and for our fight. I don’t want to end it. I am happy with you. In fact, this is the happiest I have been in a long time, maybe ever and it’s all because of you. And I’m sorry for making it seem as if I don’t trust you. Of course I trust you. I know that you wouldn’t cheat on me and I guess I was just a bit insecure and thought maybe you wanted someone younger, someone that is your age and not some old guy like me and I’m sorry for taking my insecurities out on you. That was not fair of me. I just wanted to say that I...” the voicemail cuts him off before he can finish his sentence. He think maybe it’s best if he doesn’t tell her what he was about to say on the phone but in person when they make up. He puts away his phone and goes back to his car and then he is driving back home with tears in his eyes.

He hopes they can fix this. He really doesn’t want to lose her. Can’t imagine what life would be without her in it. She just means so much to him. For now, he will listen to Mrs. Jones and give her some time to cool off. That’s all he can really do.

\----------

Vic wakes up the next morning slightly disoriented, in an unfamiliar bed. She remembers her fight with Lucas and leaving his house and then calling someone and now she is at that someone’s place.

“Well, good morning.” she hears someone say and her heart almost stops.


	13. Friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas get some good advice from their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This covers a part of 2.03 but there is more from that episode that will be covered in the next chapter.

Vic winces in pain when Maya loudly greets her.

“Can you keep it down?” she mumbles and Maya raises an eyebrow at her.

“Really? You broke into my apartment, drank all my good red wine and are giving me orders now?” she walks over to her couch, puts two mugs of coffee down on the table, then grabs Vic’s legs, lifts them, sits down beside her and puts Vic’s feet back down into her lap.

“Just so you know, I didn't break in. I have a key.” Vic explains.

“I let you house sit once and you still have a key?” Maya asks and Vic nods before finally pulling herself up and sitting up straight, her feet still in her friends lap.

She grabs the mug and take a few sips, then puts it back down and stares at Maya.

“What happened?” her friend wonders.

“Where is Andy?” Vic is checking to make sure she can speak freely.

“She is still sleeping. I was about to go for a run but I think you need me more. So tell me, what happened? Why are you here instead of with your boyfriend?”

“We got into a huge fight.”

“Shouldn’t you be at Travis’ then. Isn’t he your best friend who you usually talk to about that kinda stuff. I mean he does know about the two of you, so?”

“Travis and I are kinda not talking at the moment.” Maya looks surprised at Vic’s confession.

“What? Why?”

“It’s a long story and I don’t really want to talk about it.” Vic brushes her off and Maya nods.

“Okay. Then talk about Ripley. What happened? Why did you two fight?”

“He found another guys phone number in my jacket and got the wrong idea and then we fought. We said a bunch of hurtful things to each other and I just had enough and grabbed my jacket and the number and left. I tried calling you last night but you didn’t pick up. I couldn’t call Travis and then I remembered I still had your key so I let myself in and drank all your wine and then passed out on your couch. I’m sorry, Maya.” Vic explains.

“Okay. So he went through your stuff?”

“No, I left my jacket on the floor and he picked it up and the piece of paper with the phone number fell out.”

“Okay. Why did you have the number in the first place?” Maya wants to know.

“DeLukes handed it to me and then just ran off and the guy from 23, May...something, he was watching me so I just put it in my jacket and smiled and then quickly packed up and left.”

“23? Really?”

“That’s all you got from my story?” 

“Sorry. So, you do realize that he thinks that you will probably call him, right? What did you do with his number?”

“I threw it out on my way here. I never intended on calling him. I just didn’t want to have to explain to anyone that I’m dating my boss and I didn’t want to be rude and throw the number away while the guy was watching me.”

“You sure that’s all?” Maya wonders.

“Now you sound like Luke.” Vic accuses her.

“Well, I mean what is he supposed to think? Younger dude interested in his girlfriend and she took his phone number. I mean, you must know how that looks like.”

Vic sighs, “He should know better than to think that I would cheat on him. I’m not his ex-wife.”

“His ex cheated on him?” Maya looks surprised.

“Yeah, with a colleague.”

“And you don’t think that this might be a reason why he reacted the way he did? I mean we all have our insecurities. You are his fifteen years younger girlfriend. I’m sure he sometimes wonders why someone like you would want to be with him when you can have all the younger guys.”

“But I don’t want any of them. I want Luke. He can give all those younger guys a run for their money. Like in every single aspect. He is smart and funny and he gets me and he can cook and he is thoughtful and sweet and the sex, god Maya, the sex is mind-blowing. Why would I want anyone else?” Vic rambles on and Maya just stares at her. “What?”

“Sounds like somebody is in love.” Maya teases her.

“What? No, I’m -- I’m not.” she stutters.

“Yet!” Maya finishes for her.

“I, we just had a fight. I don’t even know if we are still together.”

“You should tell him what you just told me and then have hot make-up sex.” Maya suggests and Vic laughs.

“I will talk to him but not today. Can’t we just go out tonight? Just the three of us? We haven’t had a girls night in forever.” 

“Sure, we can do that.” Maya tells her and smiles.

Vic smiles back before tackling Maya and hugging her.

“Thanks, Maya. You’re a good friend.” she tells her and kisses her cheek, making Maya blush.

“Never forget that.” Maya tells her as she stands up. “I’m out for a run. I would say make yourself at home but then you already did that.” Vic chuckles.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just didn’t wanna go home last night and I will replace the wine. I promise.” Maya nods at her and leaves.

Vic gets up looking for her phone. When she finally finds it, she sees several missed calls from Lucas and there is a voicemail from him. She can’t help but listen to it.

“Vic, please call me back. I’m sorry for what I said and for our fight. I don’t want to end it. I am happy with you. In fact, this is the happiest I have been in a long time, maybe ever and it’s all because of you. And I’m sorry for making it seem as if I don’t trust you. Of course I trust you. I know that you wouldn’t cheat on me and I guess I was just a bit insecure and thought maybe you wanted someone younger, someone that is your age and not some old guy like me and I’m sorry for taking my insecurities out on you. That was not fair of me. I just wanted to say that I...”

She is crying when it ends and she wonders what he wanted to say at the end before he got cut off. Was he about to tell her that he loves her? 

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you crying and what are you doing here?” she hears Andy ask.

“Oh, I -- I...” Vic stutters. How is she going to explain why she is there and why she is crying. 

Andy looks at her curiously.

“Oh, I just watched one of those soldier homecoming videos. They always get to me.” Vic lies and Andy agrees and goes into the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

“Maya out for a run?” she asks and Vic nods.

“Hey, I already asked Maya and she agreed. Girls night tonight? I need to go out and just forget about work and everything. Are you in?” Andy nods as she sips her coffee.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I need the distraction. Sullivan is driving me crazy and then there is Ryan. I just don’t know what to do about him.”

“I can’t really help you with Ryan but I think you should cut Sullivan some slack.” she tells her friend.

“What? You are siding with him now?”

“I’m not siding with anyone. I’m just saying that there is more to him than just the drill sergeant we see at work and that he probably has a story that made him the way he is.” Vic tries not to give too much away.

“Why do you care about this?” Andy asks curiously.

“I hate the tension at work. It makes it hard for the rest of us when the two of you are constantly fighting and bickering. I’m just saying maybe try to work with him instead of against him?” 

Andy nods, “Okay, I will try but I make no promises.”

“That’s good enough. For now.” Vic tells her and smiles. “Okay, I should go home now.” Vic grabs her things and heads towards the door.

“Hey, you still haven’t told me what you are doing here.” Andy calls after her but Vic is already out the door.

\----------

Lucas is sitting in his office at headquarters trying to get some paperwork done but his thoughts keep circling back to Vic and their stupid fight. He wants to know where she is and if she is okay. Part of him is scared that she did something stupid like call Mayhorn but she wouldn’t do that. She probably took his number with her to teach him a lesson and hurt him like he did hurt her when he didn’t trust her.

He is brought back to reality when his assistant announces that he has a visitor. Lucas hopes that it’s Vic but instead Travis walks into his office, closing the door behind him.

“Travis? Hey! How are you?” Lucas asks as Travis makes himself comfortable in one of the chairs.

“I’m good.” he replies while looking around.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Lucas wonders.

“What’s going on with Vic?” Travis suddenly starts. “I haven’t seen her in weeks. She isn’t answering any of my calls. I get it that you two are in the honeymoon phase but that doesn’t mean that she can’t spend time with her best friend anymore.” it almost sounds like an accusation like Lucas is holding her back from being with her friends.

“I’m sorry, Travis. I didn’t even notice that we were spending all our time together. I figured that she at least talked to you on the phone.” Travis shakes his head. “I can’t really tell you what is going on with her because we got into a fight last night and I haven’t talked to her since she stormed out of my house. I was hoping she went to you but apparently she didn’t.”

“So she isn’t talking to either of us right now?” Travis huffs.

“Looks like we are both in the dog house.” Lucas chuckles.

“Yeah. What did you do?” the younger man asks.

“I let my insecurities get the best of me.” he shrugs. “I thought that she might be interested in someone else and didn’t want to be with me anymore.” Lucas opens up.

“I mean we may not have talked in a while but I do know that she is crazy about you. Why would you think otherwise?”

“I found another firefighters number in her pocket.” 

“Oh. So you went through her stuff?” Travis raises an eyebrow and Lucas shakes his head.

“I didn’t. It fell out of her jacket when I picked it up and then we fought and we said a few things and I’m not proud of it but what am I supposed to think when my much younger girlfriend accepted someone else’s phone number?” Lucas defends himself.

“I know how that may look like but I know Vic. She would never cheat.”

“That’s what I thought of my second ex-wife too and she did.” Lucas hangs his head in defeat.

“Vic is not your ex-wife. Like I said she would never cheat. You need to make this right and talk to her.”

“I went to her place last night but she wasn’t there and then I left her a voicemail and apologized. I may have to find an excuse to come to the Station tomorrow.” Travis chuckles at that.

“Good luck with that.”

Lucas nods at him, “Yeah good luck to you too. I’m sure whatever it is, you two can work it out. You are her best friend. She cares about you. She cares about you a lot. We actually got into a fight because of it.” Travis looks at him curiously. “It’s a long story. Maybe another time.”

“Okay. I hope you’re right about her caring for me because from where I am standing it doesn’t look like it but thank you for listening, Rip.” Travis gets up and smiles at his boss.

“You are welcome and thank you, too. I don’t really have many people to talk to especially about Vic, so it’s nice that I can talk to you.” he tells him. “I’m also glad that you are okay. If something had happened to you that day I don’t think I would have been able to forgive myself.”

“Everything is fine now. Don’t worry about it. I know it can’t be easy making those decisions. I get it. I’ll leave you to your work now.” they nod at each other before Travis walks out of his office leaving him to his thoughts.

Lucas goes back to work but keeps calling Vic several times throughout the day but she doesn’t pick up.

He sighs, wondering what excuse he can use to show up at 19 during her next shift.


	14. Support needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travis and Vic fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This covers the rest of 2.03 and also 2.04.

Vic is at a bar with Andy and Maya, trying to enjoy drinks and the company of her girlfriends but she can’t stop thinking of Lucas. She hasn’t called him yet, wants to torture him just a little bit longer but she will eventually talk to him and forgive him.

She keeps staring at her phone but there are no new messages from Lucas. Andy looks at her curiously.

“You have been staring at your phone this entire time. Is that about this morning? About you being in our apartment and crying?”

“I told you why I was crying.” Vic rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, well I don’t believe you. This has guy-problems written all over it. Who is he?” Andy wonders and Maya chokes on her drink but recovers immediately. 

“Can we not talk about boys for once? I really rather we just drink and dance and have fun. Isn’t that why you wanted to go out, Vic?” Maya intervenes and Vic is grateful.

“Yes, that’s exactly why I wanted to go out and because we haven’t spent much time together lately. So, come on. Shots on me and then we are going to dance.” Maya groans at the mention of dancing but Andy’s face lights up.

“Oh, I haven’t danced in forever. Let’s go.”

They drown their shots and move onto the dancefloor, just letting loose. They dance and laugh and Vic really missed this. Several guys and girls try to dance with her but Vic has no interest. She only wants Lucas. She watches as Maya disappears with a gorgeous brunette and Andy dances with a tall, handsome stranger. She smiles and decides to leave. She quickly texts them to let them know that she is going home and then she is leaving the bar.

She is a bit tipsy, so she gets an uber and she doesn’t even realize what destination she typed in until the driver drops her off in front of Lucas’ house. For a second she thinks about telling the driver to drive her home but then she decides to stay at Lucas’ place. She notices that his car is not in the driveway, so she grabs the key that is hidden in the keybox and unlocks his door.

She walks upstairs into his bedroom and quickly changes into one of his shirts. She loves that it smells like him as if he is there with her. She removes her makeup and then goes to bed.

When she wakes up the next morning, still alone in his bed. He hasn’t come home and she is a bit worried.

She quickly checks the guest rooms to see if maybe he slept in there and then the couch downstairs but he is nowhere to be found. She quickly checks the kitchen and finds a note on the fridge.

_ I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful and cute in my shirt (You should keep it.) ;) _

_ I had to leave early and I know you have a 24 hour shift coming up. Maybe we can talk tomorrow when you are done with your shift?  _

_ I’m sorry and I miss you, _

_ Lucas xx _

Vic smiles at his note, grabs it and puts it into her bag, walks back upstairs and takes a quick shower. She grabs some fresh clothes that she has at his place and then calls an uber to work.

\----------

Work is weird with Travis back. She is avoiding him and she knows it’s stupid because he is supposed to be her best friend and she wants to talk to him but she just can’t help but be mad and feel betrayed in some way. He tries talking to her several times but Vic keeps delaying it, telling him that it’s not the right time for it and that later will be much better. She can tell that it hurts him and she hates it but she is just not ready yet. She needs some more time.

Dean picks up on the tension between them during the call but they tell him that everything is okay until it isn’t.

It’s late and Vic is restocking the aid car. She is tired and just wants to be done with it so she can go to bed. She can’t wait for her shift to be over and just leave and finally see Lucas. She misses him.

She is about to finish up when Travis approaches her again and she groans. She is not in the mood to do this now. 

“I can handle these myself.” she lets him know as he tries to help her.

“I know. I thought I'd help.” 

“I don't need help.” she mutters.

“Okay, Vic, hey, what gives? What's going on?” he wants to know.

“Nothing. All I said is I don't need help.” she defends herself.

“You have been weird like this all day. You say that there's nothing to talk about when clearly there is.” he accuses her and Vic is getting really annoyed now.

“No, there isn't.” 

“I've barely even seen you. It's been six weeks, and I've seen you maybe twice.” he complains and it looks like they are doing this now. There is no way around it.

“So, what, are you mad I didn't visit more?” Vic asks.

“Nope. I'm not mad. But I think that you are, and I don't know why.” he tells her and she sighs.

“All right, man, I'm busy, and Sullivan's got this giant list...” she tries once again to delay this conversation but she knows that Travis is having none of it.

“You're busy?” he interrupts. 

“...of chores for us --” Vic just keeps talking, ignoring him.

“This is me! Vic, it's me and you. Please talk to me!” he is getting louder.

“Oh, okay, you and me?” Vic yells back.

“Yes! You and me!” she can tell that Travis is mad now.

“Me and you? All right, fine. You told Warren to let you die! You told him, a rookie, who's gonna do whatever you tell him to do, to leave you bleeding out all alone where no one would find you.” Vic tears into him.

“Vic.” he says softly trying to calm her down but she ignores it. 

“Except I did find you. And I dragged your ass out of there. I watched you bleed out right in front of me, floor after floor after floor.” she is screaming now and close to tears.

“And so you're mad at me for almost dying? That's what this is?!” he screams back.

“No, you -- you quit! You quit on Warren, and you quit on life... and you quit on me. You quit on me.” she is so close to tears now. She can’t deal with this. This is not how the evening was supposed to go.

“Enough!” they hear Sullivan’s gruff voice. “We're not doing this here! If you need professional advice, there's an FD Peer Support program at the Civic Center every week. Take it there.

Don't be bringing your distractions and your baggage into my house on my time. Understood?” he reprimands them.

“You are one to talk.” Vic mutters under her breath and Travis eyebrows shoot up.

“What was that?” Sullivan asks and Vic chuckles internally because he looks just like Luke when she yelled at him at the skyscraper.

Vic knows she is playing with fire and that even Lucas wouldn’t be able to help her if Sullivan wanted to fire her but she just can’t help herself, “I said that you are one to talk. You should take your own advice. You are being very unpleasant to work with and something tells me that you weren’t always like this. Maybe you also need to talk to someone about what is going on with you. Thanks to you my team, my family is falling apart. I won’t let you destroy this team. They are all I’ve got.” she yells and he looks flabbergasted. She doesn’t let him get a word in, doesn’t think that he could because he is positively shocked at how she just spoke to him and then she is walking away, leaving both men behind with their mouths hanging open.

She walks into her bunk room and grabs her phone. She wants to text Lucas about what just happened but decides against it. She would deal with whatever punishment Sullivan has for her herself even if it meant her losing her job.

She lies down in her bed and closes her eyes, hopes that there won't be any calls and she can just go see Lucas after her shift and then she is drifting off to sleep, dreaming of her reunion with her boyfriend.

\----------

The next day Vic wakes up and successfully avoids running into Sullivan and Travis. She leaves as soon as her shift is over and texts Lucas. He lets her know that he has another appointment and they can see each other later. Vic decides to actually take Sullivan’s advice and go to the FD Peer Support program. She has no idea if Travis will be there too. Part of her hopes so. The fight last night helped her get the anger out of her system and she wants to rebuild her friendship with him. She needs him in her life.

She walks into the room and spots Travis and smiles as she walks over to sit beside him.

“Didn't think I'd see you here.” she tells him.

“Hey.” he greets her.

“How's the sharing?” she wants to know. 

“Well, there's a lot of it.” they both chuckles.

“Uh, I'll introduce myself for those of you joining us for the first time. I'm Lucas.” Vic and Travis look up and her breath catches in her throat because she hasn’t seen him in over three days and he looks so good. She is surprised that he is there. She didn’t expect it. “And I've been with Seattle FD for a little over 15 years now. I've seen a lot, been through a lot, but an incident I experienced a couple of months ago, it's it's sticking with me.” he pauses for a moment and locks eyes with her and Vic knows where he is going with this. Her heart clenches. “Most of you were there at the skyscraper downtown. It was I mean, that was a beast, right? When I close my eyes, I can -- I can still smell the smoke. I can hear the sounds of that explosion. I am -- I am haunted by it,” Vic watches as Travis rubs the scar on his chest and she feels like crying because he almost died that night and she was mad at him for it, “by that night, by the choices I had to make.” he pauses again and looks towards the door, surprise written all over his face, and Vic turns around and is shocked to find Sullivan standing there. He looks at her and nods and gives her a quick smile. Vic smiles back as her captain takes a seat in the back. She turns back around to listen to the rest of her boyfriend’s speech. “That's why this place is so important to me. It's why each of you are are so important to me. Because we understand each other. Because w-we need each other, we rely on each other.” Vic and Travis look at each other and she knows that she has to do right by her best friend. “'Cause this job makes us more than colleagues, more than friends. We're family.” he finishes and his gaze shifts between Sullivan and her and Travis.

Half an hour later, the meeting is over and she checks to see if Sullivan is still there and to her surprise he is. He has found another firefighter to talk to.

“Travis, we should talk.” she tells her best friend and he nods. “We can go and have something to eat and talk and try and fix this between us because Lucas is right. You are my family and I don’t want to fight with you.” she tells him and smiles.

Travis quickly gives her a hug.

“I’ll mingle and you should go talk to your boyfriend. I know you two had a fight.” Vic looks at him in surprise. “He told me when I visited him yesterday.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be right back.”

She walks over to Lucas who is getting himself some coffee.

“You really shouldn’t be drinking that nasty coffee here.” she teases him.

“I’m not. It’s tea.” he chuckles and she smiles at him.

“I’m sorry.” they say at the same time and laugh.

“What are you doing here?” he wonders.

“Sullivan caught me and Travis fighting at the station and reprimanded us and told us to come here and sort out our shit.” she shrugs her shoulders and her eyes find Sullivan and she smiles at him. Lucas turns around to follow her line of sight in time for Sullivan to smile back at her.

“Do I have to worry about competition?” he teases her and Vic chuckles.

“You don’t have to worry about anything. I promise.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you are the reason Sully is here?” he asks curiously.

“I kinda yelled at him last night, telling him that he should take his own advice and come here. You two could bond over that actually since I yelled at you too.” she tells him and he shakes his head.

“Bond?”

“Yeah, I’m going to go out with my best friend and make amends and try to save my friendship and I suggest you do the same with yours. I know it’s a bit more complicated between you two than me and Travis but well it has to start somewhere.” 

“What about us?” he whispers, so no one can hear him.

“When you are done with Sullivan, come home to me.” she says quietly and gives him a warm smile and wink before walking away to find Travis.

When she finally finds him she links their arms and they head towards the door. Before they walk out she spots Lucas and Sullivan talking and she hopes that they can repair their friendship. It wouldn’t only benefit Luke but also Sullivan and her team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be Travis & Vic and Luke & Sully making amends and trying to fix their friendships.
> 
> Edited: Oh and of course Vicley reunion. How could I forget that lol


	15. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Vic make amends to their friends and each other.

Vic and Travis decide to go to the restaurant bar just around the corner of the Civic Center. When they get there they find themselves a nice table in the corner.

“So you wanted to talk.” Travis starts as soon as they sit down and Vic sighs.

“I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have yelled at you. That was unfair but you have no idea what losing you would do to me. You are my best friend and I love you. I need you in my life. So, please can you never do that again?” Vic is on the verge of tears and Travis grabs her hand and squeezes it.

“I'm sorry, too. I thought that I had no chance of surviving and I wanted to give Molly a chance but she died anyway. It was the right decision to make and I would do it again.”

“I know you would and I love you for it. That you care so much about others. I shouldn’t have used that against you. I’m really so sorry.” she apologizes again and Travis smiles at her.

“It’s okay, Vic. We are okay. I don’t want to fight with you either. I want my friend back. So, can we maybe go back to that? Being friends again?” Vic nods and smiles.

They order their food and some cocktails. Vic feels like getting buzzed.

“So, what’s going on with you and Rip? Are you two talking again?”

“We will be tonight. It was all just a big...”

“Misunderstanding? How is you accepting another guys number a misunderstanding?” Travis finishes.

“It didn’t mean anything. I didn’t take it because I wanted to call him. I wasn’t really thinking when I put it in my pocket, okay? I don’t really want to talk about this again.”

“Again? Who did you talk to about this?” Travis wonders and Vic realizes that he doesn’t know that Maya knows.

“Um, Maya.” 

“Wait, Maya knows?” Travis asks surprised.

  
“Yeah, she found out like two months ago when Lucas was interim captain. She thought that he took advantage of the crush I apparently had on him and was ready to report him.” Travis starts laughing.

“That’s not funny at all. This could have ruined everything for him.” Vic says angrily.

“I’m just laughing because that is so typically Maya. What happened? Why didn’t she report him?” Travis wonders.

“Because Lucas called me into his office and I explained it to Maya. She wasn’t happy with the situation but she kinda accepted it. I mean, I really didn’t give her a choice.”

“I’m glad that she let it go. So, are you and Rip gonna be okay?” Travis wants to know.

“We will be. Don’t worry. He means too much to me to screw this up.” Vic admits and her best friend smiles.

“Are you in love with him?” he asks, eyebrows raised with a smirk on his face.

“I -- I think I’m getting there. I really enjoy being with him and he makes me happy. Plus, the sex is really, really good. The best I’ve ever had.” Travis chuckles.

“I’m happy for you.”

“So, how are you feeling? Are you okay? How is your heart?” Vic wonders.

“I’m fine. I have a cool scar to show off.” he jokes but Vic doesn’t look amused at all. “Sorry. Look, I’m okay. I ain’t going anywhere, Vic. You ain’t getting rid of me that easily.” he tells her.

“You promise?” Vic knows it’s stupid to make him promise especially in their line of work but she needs it.

“I promise to do my best not to die. You happy now?” he smiles at her and she squeezes his hand and nods.

They spend the next hour and half just talking, eating and drinking until he gets a message from Grant and Vic tells him to go home to his man and that she would see him next shift. 

\----------

Lucas slowly approaches his former friend Sullivan as he watches the other firefighter walk away from him.

“Hello, Sully.” Lucas smiles.

“Chief.” the captain sounds indifferent.

“I was wondering if you’d be interested in grabbing a beer and some food? There is a restaurant bar not far from here.” Lucas asks, looking hopeful, waiting for an answer.

It takes Robert a moment to reply, “Sure. Lead the way.”

It’s a nice day so they decide to sit outside. They order some beers and steaks and then there is silence and it’s just awkward and tense and Lucas hates it. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. He needs to take another first step here.

“So, how is it being back in Seattle?” Lucas wants to know but Robert only shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “Look, Sully, I’m trying here. I never meant for any of it to happen. I’m sorry that it happened.”

“Do you regret it?” he finally speaks and Lucas sighs.

“I regret that my actions hurt you but I did do everything by the book. There was nothing we could have done for Claire and I am sorry that you lost the love of your life. I’m sorry for the pain you went through. I wish I could have been there for you. I wish that you had stayed.” Lucas confesses.

Sullivan still doesn’t speak.

“I’m glad that you came to the support group. It’s really helpful. I hope you keep going.”

“You will have to thank Hughes for that. I never had anyone yell at me like that and get away with it. She really is something else.” the captain finally speaks and Lucas can see a spark in his eyes and he can’t help but feel jealous. 

“What do you mean?” he knows exactly what Sully is talking about but he wants to hear it from him.

“I reprimanded her and Montgomery because they were fighting at work and I told them to go to the support group to straighten things out and then she yelled at me telling me that I should take my own advice.” he chuckles. “Turns out she was right. It was a good idea.” and there is that spark again.

“Is there something going on between you two that I should know about?” Lucas asks trying to sound more like a concerned Chief than a jealous boyfriend. Sully looks at him curiously like he can see right through him and then just shakes his head.

“I don’t date my subordinates. If anything she would be more like my annoying little sister.” Lucas nods and sighs in relief.

“How are things going at 19?”

“Honestly, they could be better. Hughes is right that I need to make an effort with my team.” and it irks Lucas that once again he is mentioning Vic but at the same time he shouldn’t be surprised. His girlfriend is just too damn likeable for her own good even when she yells at you.

“19 is a good house. Try to get to know them. They are good people.” he tries to sound like the Chief again.

Their steaks arrive and they eat, mostly in silence.

“So, how are things with you? How is it being the Chief?” 

“Has its good and bad moments. It’s kinda lonely when you are the boss. People don’t really like being friends with the boss.”

“Is that why you invited me? Because you are missing a friend?” Robert almost looks hopeful, Lucas thinks.

“I would like that very much. I know that things will never be the same between us but I would like to try if that’s something you are interested in.“

“You are right. Things will never be the same between us. Too much has happened. Things that I just can’t forget.” Lucas hangs his head in defeat. “But maybe someday I can forgive you.” he finishes and Lucas looks up at him and smiles. He didn’t expect this.

“Thank you, Sully. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“So how many Mrs. Ripley’s were there in the last fifteen years?”

“None. After I found Eva cheating on me, I concentrated on work and didn’t really do a lot of dating or at least nothing that was serious.” Lucas explains.

“What about now?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Come on, Luke. I know you. You still have all the same tells. You are seeing someone, right?” Lucas just nods. There is no use in denying it. Sully does know him well. Lucas wouldn’t be surprised if he had figured out that it was Vic he is seeing.

“I am and she is amazing. It’s still pretty new but it’s so good but we just had a fight and you know how bad it can be when you have a fight and it’s still this new.” Sullivan nods. “But we are trying to fix it.”

“So, this is serious?” Lucas nods again. “Are you in love with her?”

“Um, I’m getting there.”

“Just so you know, if it comes down to it I will protect her and not you.” Sullivan tells him and of course he figured it out. Lucas still decides to play dumb for a little while longer.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh, come on, Luke. You looked ready to fire me when I mentioned that Hughes is special. You are not as subtle as you think you are, old friend. And I saw the way you two looked at each other at the support group.”

Lucas sighs, “It just happened. It took me completely by surprise and I think her too. One moment she was yelling at me and the next moment we were kissing. We have been together ever since. The best four months of my life.”

“Damn, you are not just getting there, you are totally in love with her. You know that this could end really badly. Like you could lose your career and reputation and so could she.” Sullivan reminds him.

“We know but some things are worth the risk.” Lucas assures him.

“Well, I hope you are right. But you better make sure to not ruin her chances. She is a smart firefighter. Give her another year or two and she could be Lieutenant. Give her a few more years and she would make a wonderful Captain.”

“I know. She told me she doesn’t care about promotions but I’ll be damned if our relationship holds her back. That’s the last thing I want.”

“Good. At least we are on the same page about her.” 

“Why are you not reporting us?” Lucas wonders.

“Because I can tell that she means something to you. I could see it when you two talked. I remember how unlucky you were with your relationships and if you’ve finally found something real, I won’t be standing in your way.”

“Thank you, Sully. That means a lot to me.” he tells him and his friend nods and smiles at him.

“How much does she know about me?” Robert asks and Lucas rubs his beard. “So, you told her? That explains a few things.”

“Vic is actually the reason why you are here.” Robert raises an eyebrow. “Long story but something she said just made me realize what 19 needs and well it gave me an excuse to call you and get you here.” Lucas admits.

“I guess I will have to thank her then. I did need a change. Montana was getting boring.” he chuckles.

“Well, I’m glad to have you here. Not just because of 19.” Lucas smiles and Sully smiles back.

“Me too.” he says as he grabs his wallet but Lucas doesn’t let him, tells him that he is paying. “I gotta get home and you have some making up to do to your girlfriend for whatever you did wrong.”

“What makes you think that I did something wrong?” he asks mock-hurt.

“Because I know you.” Robert replies as he gets up. “Thanks for this, Luke. It was a good idea. We should do beers after next shift.” he suggests and Lucas nods.

“Have a good night, Sully.”

“You too.”

Lucas smiles. This went better than he thought, though the thought of having to tell Vic about Sullivan knowing about them makes him a bit nervous. He decides to not tell her tonight. He rather wants to fix things between them first and then she can kill him for her captain knowing about them.

He pays for dinner and is about to leave when he hears a familiar voice. When he looks up he sees Vic sitting at a table in the corner and some guy trying to flirt with her and asking her out for a drink. His girlfriend is having none of it though and is telling him off and that she is already in a happy relationship and it makes Lucas heart skip a beat.

He watches as the guy walks away from her and then Lucas is making his way over to her.

“Seriously, what didn’t you understand about me being in a happy relationship?” Vic says annoyed, not looking up.

“I thought you might make an exception for me?” Lucas replies as she finally looks up and smiles at him. He sits down opposite of her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I had dinner with Sullivan.”

“How did it go?”

“Well, we are trying to patch things up. It’s been a long time and I can’t just expect things to go back to the way they were.” Vic nods. “How did things go with Travis?”

“Good. I apologized and he apologized and we talked and I think we will be fine.”

“And what about us? Are we going to be fine too?” Lucas wonders.

“You have to believe me that I had no intentions of calling Mayhorn. I don’t want to be with anyone but you.” Vic tells him, looking hopeful.

“I know, Vic. I’m sorry for the way I reacted. It’s just all those insecurities came back and I wasn’t thinking clearly. All I could see if Eva in bed with another guy and...”

“You don’t have to explain, Lucas. I shouldn’t have stormed out. I should have stayed and talked to you. I was just hurt that you didn’t trust me.”

“I do trust you. I trust you with my life. I’m sorry for making you think otherwise. Can you forgive me, please?” he grabs her hand from across the table, brings it to his lips and kisses it.

“Only if you forgive me.” Vic replies and Lucas nods.

“How about we get out of here? I missed you and I wanna show you how much.” he says suggestively as he grabs his wallet and pays her dinner, ignoring her protests and then he is grabbing her hand and walking towards the exit.

His car is right outside the restaurant. They drive to her place in comfortable silence, holding hands the entire time.

It doesn’t take them long to get to her place. When they are finally in her apartment, he takes her by the hand and leads her into her bedroom, slowly taking off her clothes and just taking her in.

“I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful woman than you.” he compliments her, making her blush, before he leans in to kiss her lips for the first time in days. It’s slow and soft and it takes Vic’s breath away. It feels different, in a good way. 

“You are wearing way too many clothes.” she whines as her fingers find the hem of his grey sweater and she pulls it off, taking the dark t-shirt underneath with it, leaving him shirtless.

“I wish you could be shirtless all the time.” she kisses his chest and bites one of his nipples.

“Is that so?” he chuckles as she keeps kissing his chest and unbuttoning his jeans. He helps her to remove his jeans and boxers and then they are both finally naked and Vic wiggles her eyebrows at her handsome boyfriend. “Do you like what you see?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” she teases as she starts stroking his length, making him moan.

“Fuck, babe. I love your hands. I missed you.”

“How much did you miss me?” Vic wants to know as she feels him palm her breasts and gently play with her nipples, making her moan as well.

“Let me show you.” he answers as he makes her lie down on her bed. He grabs one of her legs and places one kiss on her foot before kissing his way up her calf, up to her thigh until he is finally where she wants him most, where she is already so wet for him and she can’t wait to have him eat her out. 

“Please, Lucas. Don’t make me wait any longer. I need your tongue and your fingers.” she moans and looks at him. Their eyes lock as he finally takes mercy on her and lowers his head between her legs and starts licking at her sensitive clit. “Oh fuck, right there, babe.”

They don’t break eye contact and it should be weird to watch him go down on her but instead she feels so aroused and so close already.

He licks and sucks and gently bites her clit and Vic is losing her mind at the sensation and then she can feel his fingers enter her, first two and then a third one and her inner muscles contract around them and she is moaning for him to fuck her faster and give her more. Lucas obeys and keeps pistoning his fingers in and out of her wet, tight heat at a punishing pace while sucking her clit hard and then she is falling apart around his fingers while he laps up her sweet juices.

“You taste so good. I could spend all night long down here.” he tells her and she chuckles as she grabs at him to pull him up until he is lying on top of her. Her legs are spread and she can feel his hard length against her thigh and can’t wait to finally have him inside of her again. It has been too long.

“You can eat me out some more later but right now I need you inside of me. Please, Lucas.” she begs him as he grabs his cock and slowly pushes inside of her, stretching and filling her and the moan that comes out of her mouth doesn’t sound human. “Fuck, you feel so good. I missed this. I missed you. I missed us.” she mumbles and he leans in to kiss her. Vic loves to taste herself on his lips. She never thought that it would turn her on this much.

“You feel amazing, too. Is it okay to move?” Vic nods and he slowly pulls almost all the way out before thrusting back in and he goes slow at first just enjoying being inside of her.

“Luke, I need more. I need to come.” she whispers into his ear before biting it lightly, making him groan.

He gives her what she is asking for. Fucks her harder, faster and deeper without breaking eye contact and it feels so much more intimate.

“Right there. God, yes! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! I’m so close, Luke.” she worms her fingers between their bodies and presses down on her clit and the result is instantaneous as she comes around him. It takes him a few more thrusts before he is finally spilling into her.

They are both breathless but neither one is moving. They are still connected and staring into each others eyes and smiling.

“That was amazing!” she finally speaks and he nods before leaning in to kiss her forehead, then her nose and finally her lips.

They just kiss for a while until he finally pulls out and wraps his arms around her, spooning her.

“I don’t want to ever let you go.” he whispers into her ear before placing a kiss right underneath. He pulls her closer to him as they both let sleep take over.


	16. Moving forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events from 2.05 with a few things going slightly differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up longer than expected. I hope you enjoy.

Vic and Travis are in the exercise room tossing a ball back and forth and she is glad that they are mending their friendship. She missed him a lot and she missed talking to him.

“So, you were trying to spice things back up with a frittata.” Vic asks as they talk about his relationship with Grant.

“Isn't that the universal equation?” Travis wonders.

“Is it?” Vic raises an eyebrow.

“Breakfast plus bed equals sex in that bed, yes.”

“You know, in your house maybe.” Vic chuckles.

“Besides, there's nothing to spice back up. We were taking things slow, and then I got hurt, and we kind of skipped spice.” he tells her as he tosses the ball to her making Vic almost drop it.

Vic can’t believe what she is hearing, “You skipped spice? You can't skip beginning-of-relationship spice. It's the best of the spices. Okay, see, this is what happens when I'm out of your life for too long. You do crazy things like not have hot, round-the-clock sex with your gorgeous boyfriend. It's a c -- It's a crime.”

“You are one to talk. Didn’t you have a huge fight with your boyfriend?” he counters.

“Hey, we made up the other night.” she blushes. “There was plenty of spice involved, thank you very much.”

“You two are like rabbits.” Travis shakes his head.

“I told you that beginning-of-relationship spice is the best of spices. So, don’t be a hater.”

“Can you really still call it beginning-of-relationship? I mean you two have been together for how long?”

“Four months and counting.” Vic beams.

“Oh my god, I didn’t realize it before but you are totally in love with him.”

“What? Don’t be stupid. It’s too soon for that. Didn’t you hear the part about the four months?”

“Oh, I did but I can also see the look on your face and all I see is heart-eyes. So, you are totally and most definitely in love with your hot boyfriend. There is no denying it.” Travis tells her and Vic is about to protest when Sullivan walks in, dressed in workout gear with boxing gloves on and he just starts pounding the punching bag, grunting and getting louder by the second.

Vic and Travis exchange looks and she signals for him to leave and then turns around towards Sullivan.

“Sir, can I have a moment, please?” he ignores her and Vic sighs. She hangs her head in defeat and turns around to leave when he finally stops boxing.

“Hughes, wait!” he calls out and Vic stops and turns around to look at him and all she sees is pain and it breaks her heart.

“Sir, I owe you an apology for the way I spoke to you the other day. That wasn't right. I shouldn’t have let my frustration with Travis out on you and I’m really sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” he tells her, surprising Vic. “Don’t look so surprised. You were actually right. The support group was a good idea. It actually helped. I actually reconnected with an old friend.” Vic smiles at him.

“I’m really glad to hear that, sir. Um, I will let you get back to your -- to your punching.” she is about to leave when his voice stops her again.

“Hughes?” she turns back around again. “As much as I appreciate the little kick in the butt, the yelling back better have been a one time thing. I may not be as forgiving and understanding the next time.” his voice is stern and Vic knows that he is not joking around.

“Of course, sir. I will do my best to not let it happen again, sir.” that breaks the tension and he chuckles and shakes his head.

Vic gives him a small smile and then leaves the room. She isn’t paying attention to where she is going so she doesn’t see the person in front of her and bumps right into them.

“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t look…” she stops and looks up only to find her boyfriend standing in front of her. “Luke? What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check in on Sullivan.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Today is -- today is the anniversary of Claire’s death. I just wanted to be here for support, I guess.”

“Oh, I totally forgot about that. That’s very sweet of you and well it also explains him punching the life out of that punching back then.”

“I’m gonna go and talk to him then.” Vic nods at him absentmindedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he raises an eyebrow like he doesn’t believe her. “Really, I’m fine. I just feel bad for him. Losing your person can’t be easy.” she smiles sadly at Lucas. “I -- I need to get ready for work. I’ll see you later.” she takes a look around to make sure nobody is there and then gives him a quick kiss on the lips before walking away.

\----------

Lucas finds him in the exercise room, punching the life out of the punching bag as Vic said and he can’t help as the guilt washes over him. If it hadn’t been for him his best friend wouldn’t be in this situation.

Lucas is so deep in thoughts that he doesn’t realize that Sullivan has stopped and is calling out his name.

“Luke? Do you hear me?” 

“Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking.” he explains.

“I can see that. What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see how you are doing. Today’s date isn’t lost on me.”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to check up on me.” Sully tells him and starts boxing again. Lucas walks over to him to hold the punching bag.

“I know but that’s what friends do and I wanted to see how things are going here? You’ve been here for six weeks now.”

“Um, I -- I guess things could be better. It’s a work in progress.” he admits as he punches harder but Lucas is not letting go.

“Do you want to get along with them?” that stops him.

“What kinda question is that? Of course. They are my people.” 

“Then how about we go have breakfast with the team? That could be a good start. I know that you don’t eat with them.” Lucas suggests.

“How did you?” Sullivan asks and then realizes. “”Hughes? She told you. Of course she did.”

“She is only worried about her team. That is all.” Lucas defends his girlfriend.

“Are you really here because of me and not just because you wanted to see her?” his best friend teases him.

“I see Vic at home all the time. I’m really just here to check on you.” Sullivan gives him a disbelieving look.

“If you say so.” he chuckles and shakes his head. “And home? You two already living together?”

“What? No. Her place has just kinda become home. Though she would probably argue the same about my place.” he explains.

“You really have it bad for her. I can’t remember seeing you like this with either of your ex-wives.”

“What can I say she is special.” Lucas smiles as they walk into the beanery just in time for Miller to announce his birthday and his dislike of celebrating it.

“Miller. I had no idea. Happy Birthday.” he shakes the younger man’s hand and smiles.

“Thank you, sir.” Miller smiles uncomfortably obviously not liking the attention he is getting.

“Chief Ripley, hello.” his girlfriend greets him her mouth full and he chuckles and beams at her.

“She is special alright.” Sullivan whispers into his ear so no one can hear him and Lucas turns to him and chuckles.

“Captain Sullivan and I thought we should have breakfast together.” Lucas says and everyone stops what they are doing.

Vic smiles at her boyfriend. “That sounds like a great idea, sir. I’m on it.” she says as she goes to work.

“Great. Let me help you, Hughes.” he says as he takes off his jacket and bag and puts them on a chair and then joins his girlfriend to prepare breakfast for the others, trying his best not to stand too close, touch her or look and smile at her too much like he would at home when they prepare breakfast together.

“Well, is the rest just gonna stare at the Chief and Hughes working or are you all gonna help them?” Sullivan asks in his usually gruffy voice with no bite behind it and everyone goes to work, setting the table and making coffee, helping Vic and Lucas to prepare the food.

The table is set half an hour later with Sully sitting at the head of it which Lucas feels is appropriate since it’s his station. He is sitting next to him with Vic on the opposite side. He can’t help but keep staring at her.

“Can I just have a moment before we start?” Sullivan says. “I know things around here haven’t been easy and that is partially my fault. I -- I want this to feel like a family so from now on breakfast, lunch and dinners together as a team. I think that is a good first step.” he smiles at his team and Lucas is proud of his best friend. That is the guy he once used to know.

They eat while chit chatting and it feels like a family. Lucas hasn’t experienced this in a long time. It was like that when he was at 88 but then he climbed the ranks and it just became really lonely. 

He catches Vic concerned look and he smiles at her to signal her that he is okay. He doesn’t want her to worry about him. She nods and smiles back.

“Chief, is there a reason you are here today with us?” Bishop suddenly asks and Lucas tries not to choke on his coffee with the look she is giving him.

“Since you are asking Bishop, I was going to talk to you about the Lieutenant's application you submitted. I’m glad.” two can play the game Lucas thinks as Maya’s eyes go wide and the entire table goes silent. She obviously hasn’t told anyone about this except Sullivan.

“You what?” he hears Herrera ask and he can tell that she is not happy about this.

“It’s no big deal. It’s just an application.”

“And an interview.” Lucas and Vic say in unison which makes Sullivan, Travis laugh and everyone else just stares at them, making the couple blush.

There is obvious tension at the table and no one is talking or eating.

“Is there cake?” Miller asks out of the blue and everyone turns their head to look at him funnily. “At this surprise birthday party you are planning for me. Is there cake?” he asks again.

“Um, yeah there is chocolate cake.” Gibson says.

“Perfect. So tonight, after the training session on the roof. Chief, Captain, you are more than welcome to join us of course.” Miller says before eating the rest of his bacon.

The tension subsides and they finish up. Lucas volunteers to help Vic with the dishes which raises a few eyebrows but mostly people seem to be happy that they don’t have to do it.

“Are you really going to promote Maya to Lieutenant?” Vic asks when everyone is gone.

“I can’t really talk about that.” he replies and she gives him a look. “I think that she is ready, is all I’m gonna say about this.”

“But that would mean that she is going to leave, right? My family would break apart.” Lucas hates seeing her like this but there is nothing he can do.

“Vic, I’m sorry but that’s how it usually works. Someday you will get promoted and will go to another house. It doesn’t mean that you guys stop being a family.” he tells her and she nods sadly.

“I know. It’s just, I’m not ready to have us go our separate ways just yet.” he squeezed her hand in comfort as she gives him a weak smile.

“I know, babe. I’m sorry.” 

“We should probably finish up here and go downstairs. The training session is about to start.”

“You go. I’ll finish up.” he says and gives her a quick peck on the cheek.

“Thanks, Luke.” she dries off her hands and leaves the beanery.

\----------

Vic finds the training session with PD to be quite a lot of fun for her. She gets to tease Andy about her awkward situation with Ryan after Andy catches Lucas waving at her and calls them “waving buddies”. She has fun placing bets on Maya and Jack who are both flirting with the same police officer and are both trying to get her number and then of course there is Travis who is freaking out over Grant thinking that Sullivan is hot. So it’s quite an amusing day until Sullivan suddenly loses it and verbally attacks Maya which prompts Andy to defend her which leads to Lucas having to reprimand his friend who he was just starting to get closer with again.

Vic finds Sullivan in his office a moment later. He is packing his things and ready to leave the station.

“Sir, may I come in?” Vic knocks and he grunts in reply but then waves her in. “Are you okay, sir?” she asks carefully not wanting to set him off.

“I’m fine, Hughes. You don’t have to concern yourself with me.”

“I know I’m totally overstepping here but don’t let what just happened undo this morning and the team bonding during breakfast or any other bonding that was happening.” she says trying not to give herself and Lucas away to her captain.

“Why does this matter so much to you, Hughes?” he asks curiously.

“Because as Chief Ripley said during the peer group session. We are a family and we rely on each other and need each other and you are part of that family. This station and the people in it are all I have and I hate for my family to fight and hate each other.” Sullivan nods. “Why don’t you stay for some chocolate cake?” she offers but he shakes his head.

“Thank you, Hughes but I think it’s best if I go home. It was a long day and I need to be alone. I want to be alone.”

“Of course, sir. Have a good rest of your night.” she tells him and leaves his office.

She climbs the stairs to the Beanery and finds Lucas there.

“Hey, Lucas!”

“Hey!” she hates to see him like this.

“I talked to him. He will be fine. Don’t worry.” she tells him as she takes the cake out of the fridge.

“We were just starting to get along again.” he sighs.

“It’s not the end of the world, Luke. Everything will be okay. He just needs some time to cool off. I mean today is not a great day for him.” she says as she makes sure that no one is around and walks over to him to hug him. He lets her, wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer to him, breathes her in before letting go again. She takes a step back and smiles at him.

“Thank you, Victoria. I don’t know what I would do without you.” he confesses.

“Come on, let’s go and have some chocolate cake. It will make everything better. I promise.” she smiles at him again.

\----------

Andy watches as Vic and the Chief climb the stairs. He is carrying the cake and they are talking and Andy is curious. She has been watching them all day long and they seem really cozy and just comfortable with each other in a way that feels very intimate. Andy wonder if there is something going on between them. She remembers Maya teasing Vic about her crush on Ripley. Maybe he is crushing on her too?

“So are we singing or what?” Vic asks cheerfully as the Chief beams at her.

“No singing unless you want Dean to throw you off the roof.” Travis answers as Vic looks at him in horror. “His words not mine.” Travis explains.

They all nod and walk onto the roof to find Dean and Jack already there.

“Happy Chocolate Cake Day!” Vic yells making everyone laugh and Andy catches Ripley looking at her adoringly and she is sure that their Chief is totally crushing on her friend as well.

“I'll cut, you serve?” she hears Vic say to him.

“Oh, okay. Sure, happy to.” he smirks at her and she smiles at him.

“What -- you thought I was gonna invite you up here and not put you to work? You got to work for your cake.” Vic flirts with him and the way Ripley is looking at her makes Andy feel like an intruder. It feels like they are in their own little bubble like they don’t even realize that there is other people around them.

“Waving buddies, my ass.” she mutters under her breath and Maya looks at her questioningly.

“What did you say?”

“I think there is something going on with Vic and Ripley.” Andy whispers to her best friend who chokes on her cake. “Oh my god, there is and you knew and didn’t tell me.” Andy’s eyes go wide.

“Will you two shut up and not be so obvious about this?” Travis chimes in and Andy can’t believe it. Travis is also in on this. 

“Of course you are in on this. You are her best friend.” 

“Anything you wanna share with the class, Andy?” she hears Vic ask and turns around to look at her friend.

“I don’t think it’s anything that the Chief in particular wants or needs to hear.” Andy looks between the two of them and watches the color drain from their faces.

“Excuse me for a second.” Vic says tight lipped as she grabs Andy’s arm and drags her towards the door with Maya and Travis in tow.

“I can’t believe this.” Andy yells when they are finally out of earshot. “You are screwing the chief and these two knew the entire time. How long has this been going on?”

“First of all, we are not screwing. We are in a relationship and it’s been going on for over four months now.”

“Relationship? Four months? This morning you weren’t able to keep Miller’s surprise birthday party a secret for five seconds but you managed to keep this from the rest of us for four months?”

“Admit it, you are kinda proud of me for that?” Vic tries to lighten the mood.

“This is not funny, Vic. You know what this can do to your career? I mean he is the chief. He is the highest ranking officer in the department and you are...”

“His subordinate?” Vic looks hurt and Andy regrets her outburst.

“That’s not what I meant. Look, if this comes out and it will since you say you two are in a relationship this will be bad for both of you. You both could lose your jobs. People will talk about you and you might end up overlooked for promotions because of it.”

“That’s what I told her as well.” Maya chimes in and Andy looks at her best friend and then at Vic and she can see her friends heartbreak that they are going against her like that.

“Guys, will you stop this. She is in lo...”

“Stop, Travis. I don’t owe anyone an explanation. I’m a grown woman and I don’t need either of you telling me what I should or shouldn’t be doing. This is consensual and neither is taking advantage of the other. This relationship doesn’t concern any of you. I like being with him and I’m not going to break it off just because you guys feel uncomfortable about it.” she takes a deep breath. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go back out there and will enjoy the rest of my cake and evening with my colleagues.” and with that she slams the door and walks back outside.

\----------

Vic and Lucas are cleaning up after everyone has left and he looks at her concerned.

“Vic, talk to me. You have been eating cake quietly ever since Herrera found out and now you are cleaning up cake quietly. Just talk to me.”

“Shouldn’t you be concerned about Andy knowing? I mean...”

“I’m concerned about you being upset. I hate seeing you like this.” she smiles at him.

“I’m fine, Lucas.” he looks at her in disbelieve. “Really I am. I just hate having to explain myself to others about us. It’s none of their business what I do in my personal time and with whom I do it.”

“They are just worried about you. I mean this must look weird to them.”

“I know that they are concerned but they are treating me like a child. Like I don’t know what I’m doing.” she sighs.

“I know, babe. I’m sorry.” he puts his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. “Let’s clean up here and finish this shift and then just go home and spend the next two days at home, just the two of us? I’ll cook for you and pamper you. What do you say?”

“Spice?” she just replies and he looks at her confused. “I want lots and lots of spice.” she says suggestively and he gets it.

“Oh, there will be plenty of spice. Don’t you worry about that.” he chuckles before kissing her lips and letting go of her.

“You’re lucky I know that that’s a promise you can definitely keep.” she smirks at him, making him laugh. “Thank you, Lucas.” she beams at him and kisses his cheek before going back to cleaning up.

Lucas just stares at her and his heart is about to burst. He is so in love with her. He needs to make sure that she knows it. He is ready to finally tell her. He just hopes that it won’t scare her away.


	17. Declarations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Vic admit their feelings to each other or something like that.

Lucas keeps his promise. They spend two wonderful days cooped up in her apartment, just the two of them. Her phone is turned off though he can't turn his off but surprisingly there are no calls, no texts, no nothing. Usually there is always somebody calling about something but not this time. Lucas must have made sure of that. He pampers her with food, massages and lots and lots of spice. His stamina never ceases to amaze Vic and sex with him is just so good. She could spend the rest of her life in bed with him.

But just like all good things, her two blissful days in bed with her handsome boyfriend, must come to an end.

It's still early and they are lying in bed, his arm wrapped around her stomach holding her to him, his face resting in the crook of her neck. Vic is awake, has been for a while. As she looks at the clock she realizes that it's only 5am and that she still has a couple of hours before she has to get ready for work. She feels Lucas stir behind her, his arm wraps around her more tightly, he nuzzles her neck and sighs.

"Victoria Hughes, I love you," she hears him say and she stops breathing, freezes and her entire body stiffens. 

_ Did he really just say that? In his sleep? Did he even realize that he said it? _ , Vic wonders.

Sleep doesn't find her after that. She lies awake until she feels him wake up and then she pretends to be asleep as she hears him walk into her bathroom and turn on the shower.

Vic panics and the next thing she knows, she is jumping out of her bed and is getting dressed and fleeing her own apartment.

She makes it into work way too early and takes the time to shower and fix her hair. She wanders around the station and can hear grunts coming from the exercise room, the same grunts she heard three days ago and as she walks into the room she finds Sullivan there going at the punching bag again.

He stops as soon as he sees her.

"Hughes? What are you doing here so early?" he wonders.

"I could asks you the same thing," she answers and he smiles.

"I needed to get out of my apartment. Figured I get some workout in. What about you?"

"Same, I guess," she is fidgeting with her fingers.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" he asks and he looks genuinely interested.

"Hypothetically speaking, if your boyfriend tells you he loves you for the first time while he is still asleep and then you flee your own apartment while he is in the shower..," she stops talking when she sees him smiling knowingly at her.

"So Luke finally told you," he replies and Vic freezes for the second time that day.

"Wait what? You know about..." Vic stops again.

"About you and the Chief? Yeah, I figured it out after the support group meeting. He has the worst poker face ever," he tells her and laughs.

"Oh my god, right? Finally someone that agrees with me," Vic laughs as well and she enjoys this side of Sullivan. She understands why Lucas and Sully used to be friends.

"So you just ran out on him after he told you that he loves you?"

"Well he didn't really tell me. He just muttered it in his sleep," she counters.

"And you don't think that he really meant it?" Sullivan wonders.

"What? No. That's not it. I -- I'm sure he meant it, I think?" she sounds uncertain and Sullivan can tell.

"I can tell you that he certainly meant it. I take it you don't feel the same way about him?" Sullivan asks curiously.

"I didn't say that."

"So you do love him then?" it feels really weird having this conversation with Sullivan but something about him makes Vic open up.

"I -- I don't know. He is the first serious relationship I've had in, well ever and it's scary. It's scary opening yourself up to someone like that. Putting it all out there and confessing your feelings."

"That's true but you know some things are worth taking the risk. When I met my..," he starts but stops as he is choking up. He takes a deep breath and continues. "When I met Claire I just knew and I made a fool out of myself but for whatever reason she still chose to be with me," he tells her with a sad smile.

"I'm really sorry you lost her, sir. I can't imagine what that is like," she admits.

"It feels impossible. When you lose someone that's so much a part of you. Impossible to see what the next day could possibly look like. Or the next," Vic looks at him with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know what I would do without Lucas in my life," she confesses and Sullivan smiles at her.

"Well then you have your answer right there," he says and Vic nods.

"Do you want to tell me about Claire? What was she like?" Vic wonders and for a moment she thinks that her captain will refuse to talk about it but he surprises her when he sits down on a bench and motions for her to sit next to him and then he just starts talking, telling her the story of how they first met, their wedding, their life together and about her death.

They don't realize how long they have been sitting there talking until they hear the station come to life with chatter from their colleagues. She watches her boss wipe the tears away and stand up from the bench and before she can talk herself out of it she is wrapping her arms around his tall frame and hugging him. She is about to let go when she feels him wrap his arms around her as well.

"Thank you, Vic," he whispers before letting go of her and putting some distance between them and Vic smiles because he has never called her Vic before.

"Thank you for opening up to me. That means a lot. I know it's none of my business but I think you should talk to Lucas about this. He wants to be your friend and well you talk to your friends about that kinda stuff. The good things and the bad things," she tells him and Sullivan nods.

"I will but you have to talk to him too and tell him how you feel. Don't waste precious time," he advices her.

"I will. Thank you, sir."

"You can call me Robert outside of work," he suggests.

"Can I call you Sully instead?" she beams at him, making him chuckle.

"Sure. Luke really has his work cut out for him," he laughs and Vic raises an eyebrow at her boss.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she gives him a look and he just laughs and walks away.

\----------

Vic's day is slow. Andy and Maya are out on a call in the aid car while Ben, Travis and Dean are on truck, also out on a call leaving Vic and Jack together at the station with Sullivan.

They are cleaning windows when Jack yawns.

"Okay, what is up with you Gibson? It seems like you are tired 24/7," she wonders.

"It's nothing. I'm just having trouble sleeping, is all."

"Well it is if you are too tired to even clean the windows. How can I expect you to have my back when we are out on a call when you can barely stay awake?"

Jack stops what he is doing and looks at her.

"What? Don't give me that look. Something is wrong. I can tell and you better talk to someone about it."

"Someone or you?" Jack asks.

"Well I'm here so you may as well talk to me. I won't judge." she watches him as he considers it before finally giving in.

"I'm having nightmares and that's why I can't sleep or why I don't want to close my eyes and sleep. Every time I do I just see myself trapped with no way out of that skyscraper and all I can hear is the pass device and I just..." he stops not able to continue.

"Have you considered going to the FD Peer Support program at the Civic Center. They meet up every week and I think it might be helpful to share this with other firefighters. You would be surprised how many of them feel the same way as you do especially about that day," Vic tells him.

"Really? Like who?" Jack wonders.

"Like Chief Ripley," she answers and Jack looks surprised at her.

"Really? But he seems so stoic and unbreakable like nothing and no one can touch him."

"Well, he is just human like you and me and these things do affect him. He has to carry the weight of his decisions that can mean life or death."

"I guess that can't be easy for him."

"No, it's not." Vic says and Jack looks at her curiously.

"Since when are you such an expert on the Chief?" he asks and Vic tries to hide a blush.

"I'm not but the last time I was there with Travis, Ripley talked about this and I just listened and it seemed to help him. Maybe you should go and share a little bit as well or maybe you can talk to him. I heard that he is a good listener. I'm sure he would listen to you if you talked to him."

"I don't know, Vic. Don't you think the chief is busy with other more important things?"

"I'm pretty sure that there is nothing more important to him than his people and I'm sure he wants them all to be healthy and 100% on the job and not be sleep deprived and a danger to themselves and other people."

"I'm not a danger to anyone." Jack says defensively.

"You are if you are not sleeping and if you can't concentrate on the job. Trust me when I say that you need help and there is nothing wrong with it. This job is hard and it's dangerous and we see and experience things that others can't even imagine and while our job is to save other people sometimes we need saving ourselves and there is nothing wrong about that," Vic smiles at him. "Look, the next time I go to the support group I will take you with me and we'll do it together, okay?" she tries to encourage Jack to come with her and Jack finally nods.

"Thank you, Vic. You are a good friend," he tells her.

"You're welcome, Jack."

\----------

Andy and Maya are in the aid car on their way to their next victim.

"I tried calling Vic the last two days to talk to her and apologize but she didn't pick up." Andy complains.

"I guess she was busy with her boyfriend."

"I still can't believe that Chief Ripley is Vic's boyfriend. Like how does that even work? Do they even have anything in common? Vic is just so vibrant and fun and he is -- he is so stiff and by-the-book."

"Well you know what they say about opposites attract."

"Yeah I guess but I mean, I know she said that it's not just screwing around and that they are in a relationship but what do they even talk about?"

"I don't know, Andy. Vic doesn't really talk about him with anyone but Travis I guess. The only time she really talked about him with me is when they had a big fight a while ago..."

"You mean when she slept on our couch?" Andy asks and Maya nods.

"Yeah and when we talked about promotions and stuff."

"What did she say? I mean this could harm her chances of becoming Lieutenant someday." Andy says.

"She knows but she doesn't care. She doesn't care about promotions because she likes being just a firefighter." Maya explains and Andy raises an eyebrow.

"Really? I didn't peg Vic for someone who would give up her career for a guy." Andy says surprised.

"I don't think this is about him at all. She likes this job as it is and doesn't care about being a leader."

"Oh." Andy simply replies.

"Yeah. I really do feel bad about us ganging up on her the other night. We should apologize to her when we get back," Maya suggests. 

"Yeah, I agree." Andy sighs.

\----------

Vic is in the Beanery when her phone chimes. It's Lucas and for a moment she thinks about not answering. She is not ready for this conversation but there is no way around. She takes a look around and there is no one there so she picks up.

"Hi," she answers.

“Hey,” he sighs. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” she asks.

“I don’t know you. I came out of the shower and you were gone. No text, no call, no nothing,” he sighs and Vic can hear the worry in his voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I just remembered that I had some errands to run for the station and I was running late,” she hates lying to him but she is not going to tell him that she loves him over the phone.

“Are you sure that’s all?” he asks concerned.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Okay. I was just calling to confirm that you are coming to my place tomorrow after shift?”

  
“Yes, that was the plan.”

“Good. I have something special planned for us,” he tells her and Vic’s heart skips a beat.

“Well, I have something special for you as well,” she says and smiles.

“I can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.” 

“You too, Lucas,” she replies. She can’t wait to see what the has planned for them and she can’t wait to finally tell him how she feels about him.

She walks downstairs to the barn and climbs one of the firetrucks and lies down on the hose. She hasn’t done that in a while. She likes it up there. She likes the quiet until she hears someone else climb the truck. She looks up to find Andy there who lies down on one side of her and then Maya appears as well and lies down on the other side.

“If this is some sort of intervention then you are wasting your time. I ain’t breaking it off with him,” Vic says defensively.

“No, we are here to apologize,” Andy replies, making Vic raise her eyebrows in surprise. “We know nothing about your relationship and we shouldn’t have judged. We are just worried about you and I guess I’m also worried about what this means for the station.”

“My relationship with Lucas has nothing to do with the station,” Vic raises her voice.

“Remember how upset you were when you found out about Jack and me? How you asked us if we would save each other or one of you guys?” Andy reminds Vic.

“I do and that’s not going to be an issue with Lucas.”

“You don’t know that.” 

“I do because we were dating when the whole skyscraper thing happened and he still followed protocol and left us all in there because he didn’t want to risk anyone else’s life,” Vic tries not to show how painful that was for her.

“How can you be okay with that?” Maya finally joins the conversation.

“I understand now that It’s his job. He has to make impossible decisions sometimes. I was upset that night and I almost ended it. We both said things we shouldn’t have and we didn’t mean,” Vic tells her friends.

“What happened? Why didn’t you end things?” Andy asks.

“He came to my apartment and apologized and we talked and I realized that I didn’t wanna let him go. I liked him too much.”

“So this is serious?” Andy wants to know.

“He kinda told me he loves me,” Vic admits and both her friends look at her, surprise all over their faces.

“Kinda told you?” Maya asks, looking slightly confused.

“He muttered it in his sleep but I know that he meant it,” Vic tells them.

“And what about you? Do you love him too?” Maya asks and Vic just nods.

“I didn’t expect that,” Andy says, sounding somewhat shocked.

“I didn’t either but it happened and I wouldn’t change anything about it.”

“How did it happen?” Andy has always been the curious one.

“Peer reviews,” Vic replies.

“Didn’t you yell at him during peer reviews?”

“Yeah, I did and I must have impressed him somehow because the next thing I know we were kissing and then we were...” Vic blushes. “Well, you know.”

“You did it in the conference room?” Andy almost shouts.

“Will you keep your voice down?” Vic shushes Andy.

“Sorry, I’m just shocked that he went for it. I always thought that he cares way too much about the rules to do something like that,” Andy explains her outburst.

“He does care about the rules but we were both just really turned on and caught up in the moment and I guess we just never stopped and here we are now,” Vic shrugs.

“What is he like outside of work?” Maya wants to know.

“He is funny and can be quite goofy but then there are the moments where he is serious and broody and it feels like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I hate those moments. He is a great cook and listener. He gets me and I get him. And I know that he is older than me but when we are together it doesn’t really show. I just feel like myself when I’m with him.” 

“Wow, you do really love him.” Maya realizes.

“Yeah, I do. And I know it’s only been a few months but sometimes you just know,” Vic tells her friends with the biggest smile.

“I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I was just shocked and I guess a bit hurt that you didn’t tell me,” Andy says.

“To be fair, I didn’t sit anyone down and tell them. People just figured it out because apparently we are not subtle at all,” Vic chuckles and sees her friends nod at her in agreement.

“So we are good?” Maya asks and Vic smiles at her before opening up her arms to hug both of them.

The rest of the shift goes by fairly quickly. She enjoys dinner with her team including Sullivan and then she sleeps for the rest of the night since she didn’t get much the night before.

When she arrives at Lucas’ place in the morning he is already preparing breakfast for them and she smiles when she sees him and she just can’t help herself.

“I love you, too.” she suddenly blurts out, making him stop what he is doing and look up at her.

“Okay, did you just say?” he asks surprised and Vic panics.

“Oh my god, you don’t remember. You didn’t mean it. I’m such an idiot.” she is spiraling and Lucas drops everything, takes a few steps towards her and cups her face.

“Victoria, stop, breathe,” he tells her and she looks at him. “I love you. Of course I love you,” he finally admits and Vic can finally breathe again.

“You do?” she asks and he smiles at her as he brings his lips down to hers in a gentle kiss. Vic smiles into the kiss before breaking it and beaming at him.

“I have for awhile I just wasn’t ready to admit it just yet and I know it might be too soon but I do really love you.”

“I love you, too, Lucas,” she kisses him again. “I know this sounds super cheesy but I want you to make love to me,” her voice is barely a whisper and he chuckles.

“I will make love to you for the rest of our lives,” he says and the meaning isn’t lost on Vic and it should scare her but all she feels in that moment is happiness, bliss and love.


	18. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic makes a "great" first impression with someone very important to Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to be the birthday chapter but then this idea came to mind so birthday will be happening in the next chapter.

Making love to Lucas is different than just having sex with him. It’s still hot and he can still make her come an insane amount of times and have his way with her the entire night but somehow it feels gentler, softer. It feels like more. Vic can’t really describe it. She hasn’t ever felt this way about anyone before. With Lucas she feels like there is a future and maybe that is what makes it different. Vic knows that it may be too soon to think of a future with him since they have only been dating about five months now but they are both risking their careers and reputations to be together, so Vic feels like this thing with him has to mean more than just for the time being. She can see forever with him and it scares her a bit but also excites her because she never thought it was possible. She has never been the hearts and rainbows type of girl but with Lucas she feels like she wants it all. 

It’s been almost two weeks since they confessed their feelings for each other and those days have been pure bliss and Vic doesn’t see that bliss ending anytime soon.

She is on her way to his place after another 24 hour shift and her plans are to spend the next 48 hours spoiling him for being such a wonderful boyfriend and also because it’s his birthday tomorrow and he totally deserves being pampered and spoiled with massages, home-cooked meals and lots and lots of spice.

She arrives at his place and grabs her bags, unlocks the front door with the keys that he gave her and smiles when she hears splashing coming from the indoor pool. She doesn’t think twice before stripping down to her underwear and then walking downstairs ready to surprise Lucas only to get a surprise herself when she sees a blond woman swimming in the pool with Lucas standing there still in his uniform smiling fondly at her. Vic watches as the woman gets out of the pool and runs towards Lucas and hugs him, telling him that she missed him. He twirls her around and laughs and tells her that he missed her too and that is enough for Vic. She doesn’t need to see more. 

She quickly runs back upstairs, grabs her things, drops his keys on the table at the front door and then runs out and straight into her car and drives off. She can’t help the tears streaming down her face.

“I’m such an idiot. Of course he didn’t really mean it when he said he loves me. How could I have been so blind and stupid?” she mumbles as she cries even harder. She knows that she shouldn’t be driving in this condition, that she could crash and not just hurt herself but also other people. She finds a spot where she can park and just cries and cries and it feels like she will never stop until she finally does half an hour later. She starts the engine again and decides to go see Travis. She needs her best friend for this.

By the time she arrives at his place and he opens up for her, she is crying again. Travis ushers her inside without saying a word. He leads her to the couch and just lets her cry on his shoulder.

“Vic, what happened? Why are you crying?”

“Lucas and...” she says in between sobs. “Lucas and...” she tries again but starts crying again. “I saw him with someone else,” she finally managed to finish the sentence.

“What? Are you sure?” her friend asks and she just nods. “Maybe there is an explanation for it?”

“Who’s side are you on?” Vic wonders with hurt in her eyes.

“Yours of course but I don’t understand. You two were so happy.”

“Apparently not. Looks like it was all a lie and he really just wants that blond bimbo that I saw in his pool and then they hugged and he twirled her around and told her that he had missed her,” she weeps.

“Oh Vic. I’m so sorry,” he just says as he hugs her. “Everything’s gonna be okay. I’m here for you.”

Vic remains in her best friends arms until his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID which says Grant and Vic smiles at him.

“It’s okay, Trav. You shouldn’t put your happiness on hold just because mine was messed up by a cheating boyfriend. Answer him!” she encourages him and he nods.

“I’m just gonna go in the bedroom real quick. I’ll be right back,” Travis tells her and Vic smiles at him.

Vic can hear Travis laugh and she can’t stand it. She is happy for him of course but she can’t be here right now and listen to him being so happy. 

She leaves his apartment, not wanting to disrupt his happiness and maybe say something that will upset him. She decides to go for a drink instead. 

She makes it to Joe’s bar in no time and orders herself a beer and a couple of shots of vodka and just wallows in self pity. She ignores her phone, doesn’t feel like talking to anyone especially Lucas who has tried to call her several times.

Vic doesn’t know how long she is sitting there, has lost all sense of time and then she sees Captain Sullivan walk into the bar with no other but the blond that she had seen with Lucas a few hours ago.

Vic watches them as they laugh and she touches his hand and before she can stop herself, she is on her feet and walking towards them.

Her boss spots her as she marches towards them, he is about to open his mouth but Vic beats him to it as she stares coldly at the blond.

“So first you go after my boyfriend and now you go after his best friend?” Vic tears into the woman who looks surprised and shocked at the same time.

“Hughes,” she hears Sullivan’s warning tone and stares at him.

“Don’t Hughes me. I saw her with Lucas. That little tramp,” Vic almost yells and the woman looks slightly amused.

“I can see what Lucas sees in you,” she tells her and Vic is ready to kick her ass.

“You don’t get to talk to me, do you hear me? Not after what you did.”

“Victoria?” she suddenly hears Lucas’ voice behind her.

She turns around and looks at him.

“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for hours,” he moves towards her but she takes a step back which obviously confuses him.

  
“I’m surprised that you remembered that you have a girlfriend after getting it on with that little bimbo over there,” Vic points at the blond who still looks amused by this whole scene and Vic wants to wipe that smirk off her face.

“That bimbo is my sister,” Lucas explains and it’s Vic’s turn to look surprised and shocked.

“What?”

“This is my little sister Jennifer. She wanted to surprise me, celebrate my birthday with me and meet you,” Lucas explains and Vic feels like an idiot.

“Oh my god, I’m...” she turns towards Jennifer. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t...” but she doesn’t finish the sentence instead she runs. She feels like a fool. She needs to get out of there.

She barely makes it outside when she hears Lucas calling her name. She stops and takes a deep breath before turning around and looking at him. There is hurt and anger in his eyes but it looks mostly like hurt.

“Just go ahead and do it,” she says and he looks confused again.

“Do what?”

  
“Break up with me. Isn’t that why you came after me? I mean I obviously don’t trust you. Why would you want to be with me after what just happened?”

He smiles sadly and take several steps towards her, not caring that they are outside in public where everyone can see them.

“I’m not gonna lie. It hurts that you thought that I would cheat on you after everything that has happened in the last two weeks but I remember that I didn’t react any better when the whole Mayhorn thing happened,” he sighs.

“I let my own insecurities get the best of me. I’m so sorry, Lucas. All I could see was this gorgeous blond and you were so happy to see her and hugging her and twirling her and I just thought why would you want to be with someone like me when you have her?”

Lucas wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer.

“Victoria Hughes, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen in my life. You make me so incredibly happy and you get me. I can be myself with you and I never had that before. I didn’t just say the words. I really meant it when I told you that I love you. I love you, Victoria. Why would I want anyone else?” he smiles at her when he is done with his little speech and Vic wants to cry.

“I love you, too, Lucas. I love you so much and just the thought of losing you makes it hard for me to breathe.”

“Well, good thing you will never have to find out what it’s like to lose me.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can promise you that there is no one else I want to be with. I would be stupid to let you go,” he tells her and she chuckles. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I am?”

“Of course you are. I don’t know what I would do without you,” he closes the gap and gives her a kiss on the lips. She kisses him back before pulling away.

“I’m so sorry, Lucas.”

“It’s not me you have to apologize to,” he tells her and Vic buries her face in his chest.

“Oh my god, way to make a first impression. Your sister will hate me.”

“This seems to be a patterns for you. You love yelling at us Ripley’s,” he teases her, making her pout.

“That’s not funny, Lucas. I can’t take it if she hates me. She is your sister. She is important to you. I can’t have her hate me.” 

“Yeah, she is important to me and so are you and she won’t hate you. She will understand. Come on. Let’s go meet my sister,” he grabs her hand and leads her back into the bar.

Vic takes a deep breath as she stands before Jennifer once again.

“I’m so, so very sorry for yelling at you and calling you names and I shouldn’t have had jumped to conclusions. You must think I’m insane,” Vic apologizes and Jennifer smiles kindly at her.

“Love can make us do crazy things,” she simply says as she stands up and hugs Vic.

Vic doesn’t react at first but then hugs her back and relaxes against her before letting go of her again.

“I totally get why my brother fell in love with you. He always liked the feisty ones,” Jennifer teases her and Vic laughs.

“You mean more like the crazy one,” Vic corrects her, making Jennifer laugh.

“I like her,” she says while looking at her brother who smiles at them.

The rest of the night is spend talking, drinking and just enjoying each others company. They make plans for Luke’s birthday before they finally go home. 

Vic quickly calls Travis to let him know what happened but he already knows since Lucas called him and explained everything. Travis tells her that he is happy that everything is okay between them because he thinks they are relationship goals which makes Vic laugh.

\----------

Jennifer wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Vic in the kitchen.

“Hey,” she startles her and apologizes.

“It’s okay. I just didn’t expect anyone to be up at this hour.”

“Why are you?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why?” Jennifer wonders.

“I feel bad for what happened. I really shouldn’t have acted the way I did,” Vic apologizes again.

“Vic, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I already forgot all about it. You should too. I can tell that you love my brother and that’s all that matters to me.”

“But I want you to accept me for me and not just because of my feelings for Lucas. It’s important to me.”

“I like what I have seen so far and I will be staying here until Thanksgiving. We can hang out on your day off and get to know each other. What do you say?” Jennifer wants to know and Vic nods.

“That sounds great.”

“So, Luke told me you yelled at him before you two got together?” Jennifer chuckles as Vic blushes.

“Yeah. I kinda told him that he is doing a crappy job as the chief,” Vic explains, making Jennifer laugh.

“Oh, I’m sure he loved that.”

“Yeah. Suddenly we were kissing and well one thing led to another and we just couldn’t get enough of each other and now we are in love and it’s kinda crazy because he is my boss and he is older than me but he makes me so happy and I love him so much,” Vic confesses to her boyfriend’s sister who smiles fondly at her. She can tell that the young firefighter is totally in love with her big brother and it makes her so happy.

“My brother is really lucky to have found someone like you,” Jennifer tells her as she squeezes her hand. 

“Thank you for saying that.”

“I mean it,” Jennifer admits and Vic nods before yawning, making Jennifer yawn as well.

“I think we should go to bed,” Vic suggest as they make their way upstairs.

“Goodnight, Jennifer,” Vic says.

“Goodnight, Vic,” Jennifer replies and gives her a quick hug before she watches her disappear into the master bedroom. 

She really likes Vic, thinks that she is exactly what her brother needs in his life. She smiles before walking back into the guest room and going to sleep.

\----------

Vic slides into bed next to her sleeping boyfriend who immediately reaches for her and hugs her to his chest.

“Everything okay?” he asks and Vic nods against his chest. She glances at the clock on the nightstand and realizes that it’s already past midnight.

“Happy Birthday, my love,” she whispers and kisses him softly before snuggling back into him.

“The happiest because I have you in my life,” he mutters against her forehead, making her chuckles.

“You are so cheesy,” she teases him.

“Admit it, you love me for it,” he smiles.

“God help me, I really do,” Vic snickers before letting sleep takes over. 


End file.
